The Dragon Prince
by Rosabell
Summary: When he was four years old and friendless,Li rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince.A year later,the prince had to leave him.Six years later,the prince returned to try to kill Li.But Li's determined to believe the prince still loves him.What happened?
1. Prologue

**Summary: When he was four years old and friendless, Li Syaoran rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince. A year later, the prince had to leave him. Six years later, the prince returned to try to kill Syaoran. But Syaoran is determined to believe the prince still loved him. Is this true? Can the group save him from the prince, or whoever the prince works for?**

The Dragon Prince

Prologue

The surface of the lake glimmered in the noon sun. He shook his head as a mosquito zoomed near his face. " Little buggers."

Beside him, the five-year-old child crouched, looking ahead. The wind ruffled his brown hair and his cotton shirt. The boy had not acknowledged him when he approached. The child exuded the air of anger and hurt—it made him pause, awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.

" I'm sorry, Xiaolang."

The child did not answer. He sighed. He dropped down to the earth. " If I had a choice—"

The boy jerked to his feet in one abrupt motion. He swayed a little, dizzy, but determination coordinated his body as he turned away and began marching away from the bank.

" Xiaolang!" He hurriedly stood as well to rush after the child. Grabbing the thin shoulder, he turned him around. " Xiaolang, please!"

" You said you'd never leave me." The boy accused. His amber eyes glistened, staring right ahead instead of up at him, but the child did not allow tears to fall. He had never cried, not since his father died. " You said you'd always be there."

" I know."

The boy shrugged harshly out of his hold, still avoiding his eyes. He reached out and grabbed the boy again. " Xiaolang, you know this is not my fault."

" You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." The boy began moving again. He tightened his hold.

" Xiaolang." The prince pleaded, pained.

The boy finally looked at him. The wind blew at his hair again so the brown locks fell into his eyes. He was a beautiful child, with an even more beautiful heart. The sight of him, illuminated in the noon sun, was so painful. He knelt and pulled the child to him. The child did not struggle.

" I love you, Xiaolang." The prince said quietly. " You know I would never leave you."

" No." Conceded the boy, and he felt the small, thin arms wrap around his shoulders. " Will I never see you again?"

" You might." He replied quietly.

" Why?" He heard a faint sob catch in the other's throat. " Why do you have to go? Can't the Dragon King take care of everything?"

He let go and pushed the boy at arm's distance to look straight into his eyes. " Xiaolang, listen to me." He said gravely. " You will be fine. Do you hear me? You will be fine. You will make many friends in the future, and you will be alright. There will be people who truly love you, and you will become a great being."

Xiaolang blinked, looking vulnerable. " How?" He asked softly. " No one likes me now. I don't even know why."

The prince knew. It was because Xiaolang's magic was fairly unremarkable. In the Li clan, magic was valued above everything else. Upon realizing his lack of magical talent, the clan, including the boy's immediate family, had dismissed Xiaolang as unimportant.

" Work hard." The dragon prince urged. " I know you can do it. I have seen you do it. One day you will prove yourself. There is still time." He squeezed the small shoulders. " You are but five years old. There is plenty of time."

" How?" Asked the distraught boy. " How? You're leaving me."

" You don't need me." The prince insisted. " Xiaolang, I befriended you because of who you are. You are strong, smart, and brave." He touched the boy's cheek. " And you can become the greatest being on earth. Trust me. I know you. Don't I know you, hm?" He smiled, searching the boy's eyes. " I dare you to tell me I don't know you."

" You have too much faith in me."

" I have just enough."

" You're the only one who thinks so."

" That's because everyone else is retarded."

" But not even Mama thinks so." The boy bowed his head.

Oh, he could curse Li Yelan to hell. One day.

" Hey, Xiaolang, need I remind you that I am a god and your mother isn't?" The prince smiled. He poked the child on the nose. " What did you say? You think a mortal would know you better than a god?"

Ah ha! The boy smiled, just slightly, though he was still sad.

" You will be fine." The prince promised. " I know you can do it. You can do _anything, _and don't let anyone tell you different, alright?"

The boy nodded, clearly not as enthusiastic, but he could tell Xiaolang will be alright, nonetheless.

He pressed his forehead to the child's and closed his eyes.

" You won't forget me?" The child asked.

" Of course not." How could he? When a year ago, the boy had saved his life. He had been fighting the traitor, the nine-headed serpent, who had wanted to take over his father's kingdom. The child had watched from the side, unseen, as the Dragon Prince was beaten back and finally gravely injured. Other children would have remained hidden, but Xiaolang had rushed out, throwing a well-aimed sharp stone at the serpent, who, distracted, ran after the child. The boy had not started his martial arts training yet, and had fled, drawing the serpent away so that the prince could escape and come back with reinforcements. By that time the serpent was choking the very life out of the boy. Xiaolang nearly died to save him. The prince knew, then, that this boy was no ordinary human.

" I will never forget you." Said the Dragon Prince. " Ever."

He remained there with the boy, their foreheads touching. The closeness of the feeling was too precious to lose. The child, too, remained unmoving, unwilling to break the moment. When the sun sets, he will lose his friend, possibly forever.

" You will become a great man." The prince broke the contact at last. " Eat your vegetables."

The boy smiled a little. Ah, there it is again. Xiaolang looked wonderful when he smiled. He dug his knuckles a little into the boy's head. A full grin sprouted then.

" Come on, let's do something fun." He suggested. " We have a few hours. Let's go swimming."

Xiaolang did not object, though he could sense the dark melancholy settle over the child again. What he would give to keep that promise he made to the lonely boy, long ago. But some things simply cannot be helped.

Dragon and manchild spent the remaining daylight hours swimming in the lake and playing. With the dusk the prince walked Xiaolang back home to the gates of the Li property. The child, fearful of being unable to let go, headed inside without a farewell of any sort. The prince did not complain. He did not want to say goodbye.

Perhaps, by not saying goodbye, they would truly meet again.


	2. Six Years Later

**Summary: When he was four years old and friendless, Li Syaoran rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince. A year later, the prince had to leave him. Six years later, the prince returned to try to kill Syaoran. But Syaoran is determined to believe the prince still loved him. Is this true? Can the group save him from the prince, or whoever the prince works for?**

The Dragon Prince

Six Years Later

A loud clatter of porcelain sounded from the kitchen.

" Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried, alarmed. She hurried downstairs. Kero was ahead of her already.

" You alright, kid?" He asked, sounding as if he was not sure whether to be angry or worried.

In the midst of broken porcelain, Syaoran, a little shaken, sat up from the ground.

" What happened?" Sakura asked.

" Your brother didn't stuff the shelves correctly?" Syaoran gestured to the cupboard. " All I did was open the cabinet door. I swear."

" Huh." Sakura glanced at the broken dishes. " Otou-san will not be happy."

Syaoran winced as he glanced at his hand. The back of it was cut open.

" I'll get you some first aid."

" Oh stuff your first aid." Syaoran snapped at Kero. " This is just a few cuts, that's all. I'll wash it. Give me a minute."

A minute was given. Sakura collected the dishes, and once Syaoran was finished, he helped her. They stacked the broken ones in the trash.

" Gomen nasai." Sakura said apologetically.

Syaoran glared ahead. " It's okay." He said quietly. " It's not your fault." Just like her to apologize for a mess he, technically, created.

" There goes the idea of making dinner." Syaoran muttered.

" We still have dishes, you know." Kero remarked.

" You really want me to try again?"

" It wasn't your fault." Sakura laughed a little shyly, " And I'm sure it won't happen again. But I'll make dinner. I don't mind, and I'm more aware of Oni-chan's retarded tendencies to stack the dishes diagonally instead of on top of each other. You're already injured."

" It's just a cut." Syaoran scowled. Kero patted him on the shoulder. Syaoran froze, trying to determine if that was a friendly gesture, but the guardian was already talking.

" Come on, let's go to the living room. It's crowded here in the kitchen."

Crowded? Syaoran hardly thought so. This kitchen was probably three times as big as an average kitchen in Japan. It certainly was about twice as big as his own. But he left without complaint. There was some work to be done, and he could go ahead and do some of the homework problems beforehand so that later, when Sakura finishes dinner and starts working herself, he could help her if she has any trouble.

Once he actually pulled everything out of his bookbag and laid it all on the table, he thought wryly that it was all easier said than done. As compelling as the idea of helping Sakura was, it was difficult to accomplish. It was surprisingly easy to ignore Kero's presence, but then, Syaoran was distracted, and he could not even concentrate on the homework, let alone Kero. He was trying to figure out what to think about his mother calling him home. He had made more friends in Japan, ironically, than he had ever made in Hong Kong, and going back there made him feel empty and hollow. Especially as, once again, he had failed. He failed to capture the Clow Cards. Another shortcoming to add to the list.

As much as he tried to maintain the sense of normalcy, the gloom was impossible to shake off. He stared blankly at the math problems without blinking and without absorbing what he read. A movement from Kero woke him temporarily from his stupor, and he managed to copy the problem onto the page. Normally this enforces memory, but none of the information passed through his mind. He stared at his own page wearily.

_This day was coming anyway. _He thought. _No reason to feel so surprised._

But he had not been surprised. Not really. Just caught off-guard by the timing. He had been approaching a sort of bliss here; he was so distracted by his crush on Sakura, Hiirigizawa, this new life he had inadvertently stumbled upon, that part of him forgot that his stay here in Tomoeda was only temporary.

" Hey kid," Kero broke into his thoughts after a long moment of silence. The guardian could not help noticing the boy was out of sorts. " You okay?"

" Hai, I'm fine." Syaoran replied, a bit shortly. He began devoting more attention to the first question. He heard Sakura chopping and the crunching of the vegetables. He closed his eyes to try to focus. He then leaned back, dropping his pencil.

" What's up?" Kero asked softly. He was, for once, not glaring at Syaoran. The guardian actually looked genuinely concerned.

Syaoran met his gaze. Kero might rejoice at the news. As much as he normally did not care about the guardian's reaction, he was not in the mood to tolerate the display of spirits. " Nothing. I'm fine." He reiterated, but did not pick up his pencil. Instead he stared at the problem. _Just do the homework and leave the worrying for tomorrow. You can't act all depressed in front of Sakura. She'll know something is up. And you can't possibly tell her._

What a miserable wretch he was! He was able to live for ten years with his family. He can do so again. Just because he did not want to did not mean he could not do it all the same. With that in mind, Syaoran picked up his pencil and leaned forward, looking at the page.

The locks clicked, and Touya entered the house. " Tadaima." He called, then drew up short. " Gaki?" He muttered.

Syaoran threw down his pencil and stood up to stretch. He was not in the mood to glare at Touya or tolerate his glares, so he turned to face away from the older boy. It looked like he would not be getting that homework started, let alone done. Coming over to Sakura's house had been a bad idea.

_Why did I do it? _But he knew why he did it. He did not relish the idea of spending the evening by himself at his flat, alone with the knowledge that he was going home and leaving behind Tomoeda.

" Oni-chan!" Sakura had heard her brother come into the room. She was turning the flame on the stove and, wiping her hands on her apron, stepped out to greet him.

" Kaijuu." Touya returned, both greeting and asking her what was going on with that one word.

" Syaoran-kun is visiting," She gestured, " We're going to work on homework together. I'm making dinner."

" Oh." Touya glanced at Syaoran, who still did not look at him. The boy was actually rubbing his eyes a little.

" How was your day?" Sakura asked.

" It was alright." Touya snuck a glance over at the boy, scowling a little. He did not remark any more on Syaoran, though. " I'm heading to my room."

" I'll call you when dinner's ready." Sakura offered.

Touya muttered some incoherent reply. Sakura turned back to Syaoran.

" Are you alright?" She asked, more perceptive than usual. Syaoran nodded.

" Un."

" Alright…" Sakura looked uncertain for a moment. " Well, that has to cook for a while. I'm going to get started. How far along are you?"

Syaoran sat back down. " Not far at all." He showed her his mostly blank page."

" Kero-chan, were you bothering him again?"

" Hey!" Kero exclaimed, " I was totally not! And don't you dare say otherwise!" He glared at Syaoran.

" He was not bothering me. I just was not able to get very far." Syaoran replied wearily. " It shouldn't be hard though. Let's do this."

" Alright!" Sakura smiled at him. Syaoran was unable to return her smile, which made her falter a bit, but then they began concentrating on the homework.

Fujitaka eventually returned as well. He greeted Syaoran cordially enough. Syaoran returned his greeting, and watched a little bitterly as Sakura happily welcomed her father home. He bowed his head to rub his eyes again. He really wanted to go home now. To his flat, not Hong Kong. Really, coming to the Kinomotos had been a bad idea.

Sakura told Fujitaka about the plates—Fujitaka laughed it off and asked if they were to eat directly off the table now. Syaoran began packing his bags.

" Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed in confusion, once she noticed. " Syaoran-kun…?"

" Hai, Sakura," Syaoran turned to her.

" I thought you were going to stay for dinner." Sakura looked at him unhappily. " I made enough for all of us…"

" Gomen nasai, Sakura." He replied quietly. As guilty as he felt now, he really could not stay. " I should go. Sayonara, Kinomoto-san."

He turned and opened the door, exiting the house before either of the two could react.

Sakura turned to her father. " Oh…"

Fujitaka frowned, puzzled.

Outside, Syaoran walked briskly in the direction of his apartment. The cool night air did much to distract him from the melancholy he had been feeling inside the house, but he walked quickly, almost like he could feel the gloom following him and was trying to outrun it.

He was so engrossed in trying to compose himself that he was not even sure why he suddenly flashed his body to the side. In fact, he had not even noticed he had flashed to the side until after something dark crashed into the ground where he had originally been heading with a loud BOOM. Heart thundering and completely confused, he stared at what had nearly skewered him. A long spear vibrated, its blade stuck deep into the cement. He looked up to see where it came from. There was a robed figure, hovering about six meters above the ground in front of him. He could not see who it was, for the moon shone behind the figure instead of in front of him.

Suddenly, the spear was pulled sharply out of the ground by some invisible force, into the figure's hands. Syaoran saw two glowing eyes, and the shadow of the arms rose, preparing to strike again. Syaoran dashed forward as the spear once again missed him by inches.

Who is this? Who is attacking him? Syaoran hurriedly fumbled for his lace. A hurried incantation and the sword appeared in his hands. Instinct alone made him swing the blade upwards and he fell to his knees as the spear collided with his blade, the force knocking him down. Pain exploded in his knees, but he wasted no time rolling to the side as the spear lifted from him. He grabbed a card and prepared to incant the spell for fire, but the spear thrust at him again and he was forced to dodge.

The stranger was too quick. Syaoran had no time to incant. He could only rely on his sword now. The spear came at him again and he blocked, though he could not hold, and was forced to duck as his arms gave. The spear came at him again, and he blocked again, and was forced to dodge the next two. It was too fast!

Finally, a well-aimed spell knocked Syaoran to the ground. Pain exploded in his stomach where it hit. He rolled desperately when he sensed another spell coming at him and the ground next to him smoked, a new hole where the spell met the cement. Stars flashed in front of his eyes as he moved, but he forced himself to anyway, and just in time, for the blade of the spear hit the ground next to him, just missing him yet again. He reached out to grab the spear to hold it to the ground, but the stranger effortlessly pulled him up along with the spear. He swung, and Syaoran was thrown out. He hit the ground, hard, and looked up just in time to see the dark figure leaping into the air above him, cloak spread out like wings, eyes glowing like a predator, and the spear raised above its head like an axe of an executioner.

He tried to move. His body would not obey, not this time. He saw the flash of the blade and knew it was aiming at his throat. He shrieked, but just as the spear was about to be thrust downward, something arrow-like hit the robed stranger. The figure curled in on itself and landed past Syaoran's head on the ground. Syaoran managed to roll over to his front, but was unable to stand. He flinched when he felt hands grab his shoulders, but it was Yue, who tugged Syaoran upright.

" Are you alright?" He took the time to ask. Syaoran could not speak—the sudden movement made him ill, but he did not have time to; the figure shot a spell at them. Yue blocked with his shield, then pulled Syaoran harshly to the side when it gave. Syaoran cried out in pain and glanced down. He was bleeding from his abdomen.

The next moment was a blur—Yue suddenly seized him and with a swoop of his wings took to the air. A rain of spells showered at them and Yue spun around and whisked back and forth to dodge them. The world spinning and pain blinding him, Syaoran grabbed on to Yue's robes to hold on. He knew he was also grabbing some of Yue's hair, but he only held on tighter for that. He felt like he was going to drop dead.

Yue seized his bookbag, and with a forceful tug that nearly popped Syaoran's arms out of his sockets, sent the bookbag flying to block a spell. It exploded and the spell continued to head toward them, but the bookbag had slowed it just enough for Yue to dodge it. Yue fired ice crystals at their attacker, who turned the crystals back on them, forcing Yue to raise his shield again. The spell following the crystals broke through the shield, and Yue threw Syaoran to the ground, as he could not dodge it. Syaoran hit the ground and saw the spell collide with the guardian.

" Yue," He tried to call out, but it came out as a whisper. The light of the moon shone on their attacker's face, and for the first time Syaoran saw who it was. The blue-green eyes, the high, aristocratic nose, the dark, thick, black eyebrows. He froze, shock chilling his blood and bones.

" Er Taizi?" He gasped out. " Second Prince?"

The Second Prince did not reply. Instead he turned his head to consider Syaoran, before raising his sword. Stunned, Syaoran watched stupidly as the blade rose before him. With an ominous whoosh, it came down upon him.

CLANG!

" Who are you?!" Sakura demanded, thrusting the blade out of the way with her own sword. Syaoran heard a roar of a mighty beast, and a flash of gold zipped through the air, followed by flames. Upon seeing Kerberus and the Card Mistress, the Second Prince stepped back and disappeared.

The next few moments passed in a whirl. Syaoran was in shock. He did not register Sakura's worried questions, her exclamations at his wound, Yue shaking him, trying to determine if he was about to pass out. Yue, lifting him from the ground, Kero calling to him, Sakura pleading for him to be alright.

He blacked out.

His best friend, the Dragon Prince, had just tried to kill him.


	3. Heartbreak

**Summary: When he was four years old and friendless, Li Syaoran rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince. A year later, the prince had to leave him. Six years later, the prince returned to try to kill Syaoran. But Syaoran is determined to believe the prince still loved him. Is this true? Can the group save him from the prince, or whoever the prince works for?**

The Dragon Prince

Heartbreak

Pain. Warm water, white cloth coming away red. Worried murmurs and sobs—Sakura had never seen anyone hurt like that before. Someone holding his hand. A loud ringing in his ears. It was cold.

But over all of that, disbelief. Pure disbelief. He could not believe what had happened. This was the same Dragon Prince who had promised he would always be there for Syaoran, who insisted Syaoran was better than everyone else believed. That alone had kept Syaoran going, all these years, until he really was the best member of the clan to capture the Clow Cards. The Dragon Prince was the only one who believed in him. The Dragon Prince was the only one who cared about him, honestly, truly, without conditions.

A mug of warm water was pressed to his lips. He looked up to see Sakura's worried eyes. He drank because he was cold and the water was warm. He was trembling. His teeth clattered on the rim.

" We stopped the spell. It should be enough." He heard Kero explain to Fujitaka and Touya. " Kid should be fine."

" He doesn't look fine to me." Touya looked at Syaoran.

" That's right." Sakura encouraged as Syaoran swallowed. " You'll be okay."

He really did not look like he will be, though. The boy was absolutely pale. Sweat coated his forehead, and he looked like he was about to pass out again. She turned to her father, worried.

" He didn't lose that much blood. Not as much as he could have. Let's just let him rest." Kero flew into Syaoran's face. " You rest, okay? We're going to figure out who it was."

Syaoran stared at Kero, thinking numbly that they were wasting their time. Yue frowned at the look Syaoran was giving his fellow guardian.

" Child," He began, softly, " Do you know who that was?"

" How would he know?" Kero turned around to Yue, puzzled.

Sakura looked at her guardians, worried. " Would he? He might."

Yue ignored both, focusing entirely on Syaoran. He noted the boy's heightened distress. His suspicions were confirmed.

" Child, tell us who it was. Whoever it was, we can deal with him."

Darkness loomed before Syaoran's vision. Black, black, everything had gone black. He felt like his heart had just sucked into itself, that someone had crushed it, had pierced it with a thousand needles. Six years' worth of self-esteem vanished in an instant. All this time, he had depended solely on the Dragon Prince's faith in him. The betrayal shattered him. He was too consumed to even cry. He had no idea that he could feel so much despair, so suddenly. All of the sudden, he was back to when he was four years old, alone and friendless, useless, with no prospects, no joy, no hope of improving himself through the years.

He stared despondently ahead and blanked out. He thought of all the times the Dragon Prince took him swimming, the words of encouragement, the words of anger whenever Syaoran ever hinted at his family's neglect of him._ You are better than they will ever be, Xiaolang. You are better, and we are going to prove it!_

" We…lost him." Kero plopped down heavily on Touya's bed, where they had placed the boy. " What do you think, he's terrified of the guy? Terrified by the experience? He did almost bleed to death—that spell was nasty! Trauma?"

" Unlikely." Yue replied. " He does not seem to be the type to cower at such instances."

" Well he did almost die."

" The cards have done worse."

" You have done worse." Sakura chose that moment to point out to Yue.

" Hai." The guardian conceded in a slightly long-suffering tone at the reminder of the Final Judgment. " He was hardly shaken then. He is not traumatized by the experience."

" Well he's traumatized by something." Fujitaka shook his head. " If you are so sure he isn't traumatized by the experience—that is decidedly odd. I know I would be shaken by that. And this kid is what, eleven years old?"

" Sakura, hug him again," Yue suggested, much to the annoyance of Touya. The girl obeyed, touching her cheek to Syaoran's.

" Syaoran-kun," She called. " It's okay, don't be afraid, your friends are here."

Still no response.

" It is something else." Yue said grimly.

" Why?" Fujitaka asked.

" Because the kid would never just admit to being scared." Kero replied dryly. " You win, Yue. What do you think it is?"

" He knows the attacker."

" That much is clear."

" Iie." Yue frowned. " He _knows _whoever it was that attacked him. Personally."

Sakura had not let go of Syaoran. " Is he going to be okay?"

" He's strong." Kero replied. " He'll come around."

Yue reached out and touched the boy's limp hand. " He is in pain." He noted.

" Well, I would be too, if I had a stomach wound like that." Fujitaka replied.

Yue shook his head. " He is in emotional pain. Whoever it was, he must have originally been on good terms with. He is in shock and mental agony. We might have to snap him out of it."

" How?" Sakura asked, growing distressed at Yue's words.

" Shake him." Kero suggested, and the guardian went to do it himself. " Hey Gaki! Snap out of it!"

" That is hardly appropriate." Fujitaka reached out to press the guardian back. " Here, let me see if this helps." He reached out and dug his finger into the skin right under Syaoran's nose. It was a spot normally used to wake those who had fainted. At the new pain, Syaoran blinked tiredly and looked up at him with glassy eyes.

" Hey," Said the kind man, " Hey kid, you're alright now. You're safe."

Syaoran stared stupidly at him, then at Sakura, who was still hugging him. It felt superficial, somehow, like she did not really mean it. How could she? No one else cared about him. Only the Dragon Prince—but now he no longer cares. He had just tried to kill Syaoran, no doubt because he no longer finds Syaoran worthy.

" Hey kid," Even Touya was squeezing his hand now, " You're okay. You're safe, okay? Don't go scaring us like that again."

Syaoran blinked tiredly at that. _Nani…_

" Who was it?" Yue asked, noting Syaoran's increasingly sleepy look. " Tell us who it was. Whoever it was, we will take care of him for you."

" Hai." Sakura agreed. " No one gets away with attacking my friends!"

Syaoran blinked sharply at that, his previous despair giving way to sudden clarity. Her friends. Sakura still cared about him. He still had friends here, and they were worried, actually _worried _about him.

" He's—" He stopped. Something was not right. If the Dragon Prince really did see him as unworthy, he would not bother trying to kill Syaoran. They were already separated, and odds were that Syaoran would never see him again. Except he had, for some reason. Something did not make sense. Did the Dragon prince forget about him? Iie, that is impossible. He had sworn he would never forget Syaoran. Maybe he simply did not recognize Syaoran? Perhaps. He had attacked Syaoran in Tomoeda, after all. Most likely he expected Syaoran was still in Hong Kong.

Iie. The Dragon Prince would never hurt Syaoran on purpose.

" He is the Dragon Prince." Syaoran said, his voice coming out clear and steady. " It was an accident."

" Huh?" The group exclaimed at that, having seen the change in Syaoran's overall demeanor—from trembling in shock to steady and calm in a span of less than a minute.

" It seemed pretty deliberate to me." Yue remarked dryly.

Syaoran shook his head. " He would never do that to me." He said quietly. " He did not recognize me. That was all."

" You know the Dragon Prince?" Kero asked seriously. " How do you know the Dragon Prince?"

" He's my best friend." Syaoran replied.

Silence followed this declaration.

" That's outrageous." Kero proclaimed.

Incensed, because he had lingered already in self-doubt for so long, Syaoran shot back, " Iie, it's not. I can have friends like the Dragon Prince. He _knows _I am good enough."

Kero blinked in confusion. Silence followed again.

" He just did not recognize me." Syaoran insisted. " I need to talk to him." For a moment he forgot he was injured, and was reminded by the stabbing pain at his middle when he tried to get up.

" Whoa!" Sakura pressed him down. " You aren't going anywhere, Syaoran-kun. If anything, we will talk to him. He knows your name?"

" Of course he knows my name!" Syaoran spat angrily at her. It was the most vicious he had ever been to her since the middle of fifth grade, back in the days when they were still capturing cards. " How can he be my friend if he doesn't even know my name?"

" Okay," Sakura replied awkwardly, wondering why he was so defensive. " We'll talk to him for you."

" I need to talk to him." Syaoran shook his head. He made to get up again, and Sakura pressed him firmly down.

" Why?" Fujitaka asked.

Syaoran merely rubbed his eyes. There was no way they could possibly understand just how important the Dragon Prince had been to him.

" Do you know where we can find him?" Kero asked. " Really, it's not such a good idea for you to go in this state. We can talk to him first, make sure—"

" There's nothing to make sure." Syaoran snapped again. " I know it looks bad, but it was all a misunderstanding."

" Okay." Sakura said, to placate him. " Rest for now, Syaoran-kun." She took his hand. Syaoran stared, despondent again, as she gave his hand a squeeze. He felt like he was in a bad nightmare.

Sensing that Syaoran was ready to be left alone, Sakura gestured to the rest of the group, and they took leave of Syaoran and shut the door. They headed downstairs to the living room.

Kero zipped around in restless unease.

" That was nuts." The guardian exclaimed. " The kid is off his rocker."

" You doubt he knows the Second Dragon Prince intimately?" Yue asked.

" Second Dragon Prince?" Sakura turned to Yue. " How did you know that?"

" The child called it out earlier." Yue replied. " I assume that was when he recognized the prince."

" I don't remember this." Sakura blinked in confusion. " Well, I probably wasn't there, yet."

" He said it in Chinese." Yue replied.

" You really think he was good buddies with this guy?" Touya asked. " That's some pretty nasty fight, it looked like."

" The Dragon Prince is a god." Kero reminded everyone. " No telling how those folks think."

" What I don't understand is why he would attack an eleven-year-old child." Fujitaka sat down on the couch. " Much less a friend."

" Whether or not he recognized Syaoran-kun, he was certainly able to tell that Syaoran-kun is just a kid!" Sakura agreed.

" Could he be targetting Hiirigizawa-san?" Touya asked.

" It's possible, but not likely." Yue replied. " Gods would not make such a mistake."

" Gods should not go around targetting eleven-year-olds either."

Yue inclined his head at Kero, conceding to his point.

" What should we do now?" Sakura asked.

" I think perhaps it would be better if we wait a bit." Kero whisked over to near the stairs,but he sat down on the railing. " The gaki might be able to tell us more, actually."

" Like why he's so confident the guy didn't mean to kill him?"

" Hai." Yue agreed. " The child might know more than any of us. We can afford, I think, to wait for him to come back to his senses."

" That's a harsh way of putting it." Touya remarked despite himself.

Yue gave Touya a flat look.

Upstairs in Touya's bedroom, Syaoran shuffled lower to lie flat. He stared at Touya's ceiling, lost in memories of the past. He was remembering that terrible moment when the nine-headed serpent, in his human form, was laughing manically, choking, strangling him, and a burst of blood as the serpent was stabbed through with a spear—the same spear that had nearly killed him just now. He had dropped on the sand, vision darkening, and remembered only a muffled voice calling to him. _" Child? Child!"_

The Dragon Prince had been everything Syaoran wanted to be. Strong, confident, intelligent, respected. Syaoran had admired him so much. He had been so overjoyed when the Dragon Prince laughingly declared the boy his savior, and promised to return the favor. Then a shy, timid child, Syaoran had stammered that what he did was not so remarkable, that anyone would have done it.

_" What is your name?"_

_" Li Xiaolang."_

_" Xiaolang…hm, we will have to work on that in the future."_

To have someone interested in _him, _and not just because he was the little brother of a great sorceress or the son of Li Yelan; it had delighted him to no end, and he had enthusiastically answered all of the great prince's questions; where he was from, how old he was, what he had been doing at the beach during the prince's fight with the serpent.

_" What were you doing so far away from home, Xiaolang?"_

_" They told me to get out of the way. I headed to the beach because no one's around."_

_" That is very dangerous, Xiaolang. You should not head to the beach alone."_

_" Really? No one told me that…nothing happened before."_

_" Does your family know you head to the beach by yourself?"_

_" Yeah. They told me to come here the first time, and I just started coming here whenever I have to be somewhere where I wouldn't bother anyone."_

The Dragon Prince had frowned at that. Syaoran thought he had been bothering him, and apologized quickly.

_" What are you sorry for? Stop doing that." _The prince then laid his hand on Syaoran's shoulder. His hand had been so large, then; the prince was so tall and strong. _" Next time you feel like coming to the beach, call for me. Just call, ' Er Taizi', and I will be there. We will find something to do together." _

_" I come here a lot…"_

_" I am not the busiest official." _The Dragon Prince had smiled. His blue eyes were so warm, they almost glowed with affection. _" Trust me. Being the Second Prince, ha. I have plenty of spare time. I know many games, so hopefully I would not bore you."_

_" Oh, I won't be bored!" _Syaoran had cried. Him, bored? Never! _" Are we friends then?"_

_" I should hope so!" _The Dragon Prince replied, laughing. _" That is, if you want to be my friend."_

Syaoran lunged and hugged the man fiercely, and the prince laughed again, hugging him back.

_" I should be sad if my savior does not call me his friend!"_

It was impossible for anyone to understand just how much it devastated Syaoran, when the Second Prince told him they would probably never meet again. The Dragon Prince had been his only friend, his only confidante, and the loss had shattered the boy, so much so that he had gotten sick shortly afterwards. Only the knowledge, the belief, that the prince still valued him as a friend, allowed Syaoran to recover, and infused him with the determination to excel despite odds. So he was not the most powerful sorcerer in the clan. He is still the most capable member.

_" Mortals don't know better. I do. I know you, Xiaolang."_

Syaoran shut his eyes. Whatever is happening now, it was not because the Second Prince had abandoned him. He will not consider it. He did not know what he would do if it really was the case.


	4. GroupPlotting in Advance

**Summary: When he was four years old and friendless, Li Syaoran rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince. A year later, the prince had to leave him. Six years later, the prince returned to try to kill Syaoran. But Syaoran is determined to believe the prince still loved him. Is this true? Can the group save him from the prince, or whoever the prince works for?**

The Dragon Prince

Group-Plotting in Advance

Touya took the couch for the night. The next morning, Tomoyo came over, as they had agreed to before. She was surprised to learn what had happened last night.

" Is he alright?"

" I think so." Sakura had wanted to check on Syaoran, but Touya did it for her, declaring she should concentrate on preparing breakfast instead.

Syaoran woke with a lot of difficulty. He blinked owlishly at Touya when the older boy checked his temperature. His color was still not good, and his movements were feeble.

" Just what was that spell anyway?" Touya asked, as he noted the red bandages. He opened the door to call downstairs. " Oi! Kid's been bleeding all night!"

" Are you sure we shouldn't get him to a doctor?" Fujitaka asked Kero as the man changed Syaoran's bandages. The wound was ugly, and pus leaked out, the stench heavy around Syaoran's abdomen. " It's infected."

" Iie." Kero shook his head. " It's not infected. It just looks like it. And taking him to the doctor would require some explaining. You can't stop it unless you stop the spell, which we did already."

" Then why is he still bleeding?" Touya asked.

" Leftover from the spell before." The guardian replied. " That stuff's painful. You're doing good, kid."

Syaoran was not listening. He had shut his eyes, exhausted. His limbs felt heavy and he did not want to move, not even to protest as Fujitaka cleaned his wound.

" What exactly is that spell?" Fujitaka asked.

" It's real name is a mouthful." Kero replied. " It's nickname is Scavenger's Mouth. It chews at the wound until you either cancel it out or it chews a hole through you. In addition to that it spreads around the wound so the surrounding tissues die. Very nasty stuff."

" What happens if you let it chew the hole in you?"

" If you let it go on?" Kero scowled. " I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, least of all the kid. Eventually your whole body decomposes due to the spell, not even the natural process. You're probably still alive by the time it does chew a hole through you, so the dying process could take as long as a week. That's suffering to the extreme."

Looking like he wanted to vomit, Touya remarked, dryly, " How bad was it in the kid?"

" Not terrible." Kero replied.

" But he's not clotting and was bleeding all night. How many liters of blood has he lost?"

" He's still conscious."

" That means diddly squat and you know it."

" He'll be fine. We canceled the spell, besides, when Kinomoto-san here was changing the bandages, he was no longer bleeding."

Fujitaka finished binding Syaoran, who sunk back to sleep.

" We gotta get him out of this funk." Kero hovered near the ceiling. The two Kinomotos left the room, closing the door to let Syaoran rest quietly.

" I'll boil some dates to help replenish some blood." Fujitaka told the other two.

" Hai." Touya nodded.

Kero and Touya then joined Sakura and Tomoyo.

" Should I?" Sakura asked Tomoyo.

" Should you what?" Touya asked.

" Call Eriol-kun."

" Can he help?"

" I don't know." Tomoyo admitted. " But there's no harm in trying. It's not like we're on familiar terms with the Dragon Prince."

" I doubt he would be either." Kero replied.

Still, there was nothing else they could do except wait, and Sakura was anxious to do anything to help Syaoran. She asked her father if she could make the call. Fujitaka readily gave her permission.

" Sakura-san," Eriol's greeting was warm enough when he answered the phone, " I hope all is well in Tomoeda? How is your family?"

" We're good." Touya said dryly, as Sakura had put Eriol on speaker. " But Li isn't."

" Oni-chan," Sakura remonstrated half-heartedly. " Eriol-kun, I hope we are not bothering you?"

" Iie, not at all." Eriol sounded concerned now. " What is this about Li-san?"

The group explained the past night's events to him, as well as what Syaoran revealed.

" I did not know Dragons existed." Eriol admitted. " Well, I should not say that, perhaps, but I did not know there are actual dragons. There were creatures, certainly, that match the general descriptions, but I have never heard of an actual dragon, much less a dragon _prince. _Was he draconian in appearance? How did you guys know, or how did Li-san know, that he was a dragon?"

" Syaoran-kun called him a dragon prince."

" Claimed he was his best friend." Kero added for good measure.

Eriol was silent for a while.

" Hm." He finally said at last. " I…do not know what to say to that."

" Any reason a god would target the kid?"

" What makes you think he's a god?" Eriol asked. " He could be a demon."

" Uh…ano, he's a dragon prince. Dragons…we thought they were gods, you know." Sakura glanced awkwardly at Tomoyo.

" Personally I don't really relish the idea of dragons actually being demons." Tomoyo remarked.

" I'll ask around." Eriol promised. " I have some connections by this time, perhaps they might know something of these dragons."

After about two hours, Eriol called back.

" I have some information," He told the group, after the initial greetings were over. " There is a Dragon Prince—in fact, there are a few of them, all sons of Dragon Kings."

" Kings. Plural."

" Hai. There are a total of four Dragon Kings. They live in the Pacific. Their kingdoms are to the north, south, east, which is near the Central Americas, and West, which is offshore of China. Supposedly they control what happens in the Pacific as well as what borders it, namely the coasts of Asia, Australia, and the Americas."

" So they're not demons?"

" Iie." Eriol sounded a bit unhappy at this prospect. " They are gods; you were correct. They associate rarely with mortals. It is not entirely impossible for Li-san to befriend one, as he claims, but it is incredibly unlikely."

" Syaoran-kun seems pretty certain of it."

" Well, either way, as they are gods, the likelihood of one trying to kill him is low as well."

The group exchanged questioning looks.

" I suppose we'd just have to ask Li-san in the end." Touya muttered.

" Un." Sakura agreed.

There was a ring at the door, and Touya went to answer. Yukito stepped in. " Ohayo." He greeted.

" Ohayo."

" Is Li-san alright?" Yukito asked.

" He's sleeping." Sakura glanced at Kero. " I should go check on him. I'll get the date-broth to him too."

Syaoran had difficulty waking, however, and barely managed to drink the broth before falling asleep again. His aura was so faint it was hard to sense him. Sakura asked Kero again if he was certain Syaoran was alright.

" Oh he's not _well."_ Kero replied. " You can't expect him to be _well. _But I am pretty sure he won't get any _worse. _That spell's nasty and the recovery process is long. He'll be sleeping for a while yet."

It took some time for Sakura to wrap her mind around the fact that Syaoran's weakness was much to be expected, and nothing unusual. Neither Kero nor Yue seemed to be worried about the fact that Syaoran was sleeping like the dead. They were more concerned about why the spell was used on Syaoran in the first place.

" It's not exactly a quick killer." Kero told Sakura. " It takes out the opponent, certainly, but they hang in there for a while. Which is odd, because when we arrived on the scene, that prince looked pretty darn determined to cut off the kid's head—something that would definitely be a swift killer."

" Reflex, maybe?" Touya suggested. " Prince wanted to get the kid down, uses spell to make the fight easier?"

" Scavenger's Mouth is not something you normally think of casting." Yue told Touya. " Certainly not in the heat of battle. Usually it is used as punishment, or, in some cases, a way to kill someone without them knowing who the attacker was, or how to negate the spell, assuming they even know it is a spell and not some poison."

" Un, we were able to tell purely because we knew he was hit by a spell and Scavenger's Mouth is the only spell that causes tissue to decay like that. But there are plenty of poisons that do the same thing. Not only would treating it with an 'antidote' not work, it can also worsen the process." Kero added.

" In other words, it's not a battle tactic."

" Iie. It's not a long spell but you'd cast faster spells. Something like Ritardando, or Mirror-Motion."

Touya did not ask what those were. " So what _would _be the reason for casting a spell like that on the kid?"

" Dunno." Kero's ears drooped. " That whole spiel didn't make any sense to me at all. You, Yue?"

Yue did not reply directly.

" Perhaps it is less about the Dragon Prince, and more about the child."

" What do you mean?"

" We should see what the boy is hiding from us." Yue replied. " See if Li Syaoran has anything significant he has been keeping from us, instead of wondering if the Dragon Prince lost his mind."

" You didn't have to put it that way." Kero scowled. " And I never said the Dragon Prince lost his mind. You have to admit, him attacking some eleven-year-old kid with Scavenger's Mouth? That's fishy."

" On both sides." Yue replied.

" I don't think Syaoran-kun would hide anything from us…" Sakura did not like the idea. " I mean, he doesn't really talk about his family that much…but I don't think he would hide anything that would hurt us."

" What can an eleven-year-old kid have to hide anyway?" Touya scowled. " Well," He backtracked, " From people like _us. _It's not like he'd have more secrets than the fact that he has magic."

" Li Syaoran has the disposition befitting that of an individual with secrets to hide." Yue pointed out. " He is introverted and does not open up to others. He is distrustful of others."

The group paused at this.

" Well," Touya gestured, " You want to wake the kid up now and demand what he's been hiding from us?"

" What would you even be looking for?" Tomoyo asked.

" You're saying the kid has a reason to get attacked." Kero looked flatly at Yue.

" It is possible." Yue replied nonchalantly.

" Maybe his mom would know more."

" Hai, we should probably tell his family that…" The group instantly grew restless as they realized they should have informed Hong Kong about what had happened.

" Does anyone have his mom's number?"

But only Syaoran had his mother's phone number.

" Is there any way to speed up the healing process?" Tomoyo asked. " I don't know—lending him some energy or something?"

" You would lower the threshold of recovery if you try to accelerate the healing process." Kero floated to Sakura's shoulder. " Maybe I should write an essay on Scavenger's Mouth for you guys, because I'm forgetting to mention a lot of details you're forcing me to remember. In fact, Yue, how come you're not doing some of the explaining?"

Thus pressured, Yue obliged. " Scavenger's Mouth eats away tissue by eating away the core magic. For sorcerers, the their physical being is dependent on their magical core. That is why using an antidote would worsen the spell; it provides more magic for the spell to progress. Once stopped, the individual must replenish the core magic in order to recover. If you transfer energy to force the healing process to accelerate, the healing energy will prevent the core magic from recovering completely. There is only so much magic a body can contain. Eventually the child may recover fully, but it will take a while for him to dispel the foreign magic with his own core magic, since the foreign magic is not directly offensive, so he cannot directly cast it off."

" You're saying Scavenger's Mouth wouldn't work on nonmagical folk then."

" It would hurt them, but in a different way. The initial blast would wound them, but the spell would not consume them, not as they would for magical beings."

Syaoran suddenly moved his arm, revealing that he had woken. He turned his head on the pillow and blinked faintly.

" It consumed a lot." Sakura said with worry, sensing for Syaoran's faint aura.

" He didn't have much to begin with." Kero replied.

" That spell did not last long." Yue shook his head. " All of five minutes."

" So you're saying that it consumed faster than was normal?"

" Iie." Touya replied flatly. " They're saying the spell didn't have to eat that much. He didn't have much to begin with; that was what he said," He pointed at Kero, " And I don't know myself, but if it's really all that weak then why did this kid consider capturing stuff like Clow Cards?"

" Oni-chan!" Sakura exclaimed, aghast at how absolutely rude her brother had been.

Syaoran actually managed to sit himself up, and he leaned, crooked, against the headboard.

" Lie back down." Kero ordered.

" I'm fine."

" You are, but you still need to lie back down."

Syaoran's face contorted, like he was about to cry, but no tears fell, and instead of a sob he let out a frustrated groan.

" Ugh. Don't tell my mother about this."

This was a strange request. The group fell silent, dumbfounded, at this.

" Er, mind telling us why?" Touya asked.

" She doesn't know about the Second Prince." Syaoran's head and torso slid sideways back into the pillows, as he was unable to keep his body up.

" You know what," Kero grunted as he shifted Syaoran's body back up so he was straight, " You really should stop being a stubborn prick."

" You sure you didn't have schizophrenia?" Touya asked. " If your mother does not even know, how do you know that this Dragon Prince friend of yours is real?"

That was it. Syaoran exploded.

" He was real!" He cried, anger and passion giving him strength he normally would not have had. " He was real, he was the only one who was there for me, and by gods, I can _prove _it! Er Taizi!" He started screaming, " Er Taizi!" And when no sign of the prince was forthcoming, the boy burst into tears, " I need you, _please!_"

" Oni-chan, you are a freaking jerk!" Sakura glared at her brother, before moving swiftly to gather her friend in her arms. If the Dragon Prince was supposed to materialize, he did not show, and Syaoran fell silent against her shoulder, his weak frame shuddering from exhaustion and distress and repressed sobs. " It's okay, we believe you, I believe you. We'll figure out what's wrong, alright?" She was more shaken by the fact that her friend, her impossibly strong friend, was currently crying, than she was confused as to why Touya's statement would have such an effect. " We'll figure things out.

" He left." Syaoran said dully, the calm sudden and unexpected, leaning heavily into her. Part of his mind thought it was ironic how he and Sakura were even now. They have both cried into the other's shoulder, though in his case, he was absolutely pathetic! There he was, crying when he was already eleven years old—this was ridiculous! But he could not stop, nor could he, in the end, bring himself to care. " He hung around for a year but his father called him back to assume duties. I never saw him again. He didn't even leave me any…anything."

No pendant, no talisman, no amulet, no token at all that the Dragon Prince had ever been there. Just words and memories that may or may not have been real.

" Well we'll find him okay?" Sakura promised. She let go of Syaoran so she could look at him directly in the eyes. " We'll find him then. How about that. When you get better and stronger, we'll go look for the Dragon Prince ourselves. In his domain. I mean, he's got to have one, right? And we demand why he tried to kill you. We demand answers."

" Uh…" Tomoyo did not like that idea. Neither did Touya.

" We go straight to the King, if we have to." Sakura promised, though at the time she was not completely sure what she was promising. " We'll clear things up between you two. Okay? Don't listen to Oni-chan. He's a git. Of course you can befriend a dragon, and either way, we'll make him pay for hurting you like this."

" It wasn't him."

" Well, whoever it was." Sakura replied.

Syaoran closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he sighed, he slumped, and Sakura sensed, more than saw, him fall asleep despite himself.

Once the group left Syaoran to rest, Sakura turned to everyone.

" So…what first. Dragon King, Eriol-kun? Dragon King, then Eriol-kun? Eriol-kun, then Dragon King?"

" What are you talking about?" Kero asked.

" I'm saying what should we do first. Visit the Dragon King, or get Eriol-kun here?"

" You're going to drag Hiirigizawa here." Touya said flatly. " Will he come?"

" Well," Sakura frowned, " He's the one that went on and on about Syaoran-kun being his 'kawaii little descendant'. I think it's the least he could do."

oO

" It's the least I could do." Eriol agreed. " But if you wish to go dragon-hunting, Sakura, it would probably be wiser if you allow Li-san to recover fully first."

" That can take weeks." Kero protested.

" And you can die in a second." Eriol replied smoothly. " It is best not to rush into things. In Li-san's state, I very much doubt we have learned the full story from him. No doubt, some things we learned might be even distorted. Scavenger's Mouth is notoriously draining. However, I will book a ticket to Tomoeda, at the earliest, next week, and we shall proceed from there. Please do not rush into things, and stay safe."

" Hai. Arigatou, Eriol-kun." Sakura nodded, though Eriol could not see, and turned to the rest of the group. " Well. Guess we wait a bit until Syaoran-kun gets better. Then we go dragon-hunting."


	5. To the Beach

The Dragon Prince

To the Beach

Lying, Sakura found to her chagrin, could be an incredibly complicated process. Once Kero and Yue convinced the group that Syaoran should not go to a hospital, this presented a problem for the school semester, as Syaoran would likely miss the rest of it while recovering. Without a doctor's note, he had no excuse, so the guardians and Sakura had to go through a very illegal and nerve-wrecking process of faking documents to present to the school. Then Syaoran's mother called her, wondering why her son was not on the plane back to Hong Kong, which made Sakura incredibly furious about Syaoran never telling her any of this—and forcing Sakura to present these same faked documents to _her_, since Syaoran strongly objected to anyone revealing the Dragon Prince's involvement to his mother. Since Syaoran was still recovering, Sakura decided not to give him a piece of her mind about hiding the fact that he was originally supposed to go home to Hong Kong—that, she decided, could wait when Syaoran is well again.

When Syaoran was well again, then she showed him just what she thought about Syaoran hiding a thing like that.

" Sakura, I was going to tell you." Syaoran sighed.

" After you already left, I expect."

" Iie! Well…"

Sakura turned her nose up in the air, causing her brother to grunt. She glared at him.

Eriol, who had arrived the night before, three weeks after Syaoran was first attacked and a day after Syaoran fully recovered, tapped his knuckles on the table to get Syaoran's attention. " His name?"

" Ao Sheng."

" Which kingdom was he of?"

" West."

" Why did he get called away?"

" Royal duties." Syaoran replied flatly. " What are you aiming for?"

" Just who we should expect to deal with. You met the rest of the dragon family?"

" Iie." Syaoran replied, " Just him."

Should he see something in this? Syaoran was not sure. Why did the dragon prince never introduce Syaoran to anyone else? Perhaps he had been ashamed of Syaoran after all.

" Hey." Eriol tapped the table to get his attention again. " How did you two meet?"

The truth was Syaoran could barely remember anymore. He just remembered getting strangled, with a sharp clarity, the laughing face, and the blood as the spear skewered his attacker. Then the handsome face of the Dragon Prince, looking down at him, his eyes filled with…

" I was four." He said quietly. " I think I was at the beach. I don't remember why I was there. He was fighting some guy, and the guy was about to kill him, so I threw a stone at the guy. Not sure why, considering he could have been the good guy, but I didn't want him to kill the prince. Then he chased after me and caught me." Syaoran rubbed his head. " I don't really remember much else. I think he was choking me, but then the Second Prince killed him and that's really all I remember."

Well, he remembered the prince calling to him, remembered the fear, but the actual events, well.

" Who's the guy he was fighting?"

" Nine-headed serpent, I think his name was."

" Nine-headed serpent?"

" I think so." He was four, for god's sake.

Kero, being surprisingly considerate, was sitting on his shoulder. He did not exactly pat him on the head, but he did lean his head against his, and that was a slight comfort in itself.

" You were there by yourself?" Eriol asked.

" Nani?"

" The beach, when this all happened. I assumed you were there by yourself, if no one else knows about this."

Syaoran paused. " Hai."

Eriol looked grim. He had been writing all of this down. " I think we can go see the Dragon King."

" You're going to see the Dragon King." Syaoran repeated, stunned.

" I told you this already." Sakura blinked. " Do you want to come? I mean, it's okay if you don't, seeing as the prince did try to skewer you last time—"

" Matte!" Syaoran snapped, rising from his chair. His stomach still felt sore, but he was much better now. " You are not going to see the Dragons!"

" Hoe? Why?"

" Because! Are you out of your mind? You'll be confronting…the Dragon King!"

" I think it's really the only thing to do at this point." Eriol replied. " A bit risky, hai, but what do you think they will do to us? Throw us out?"

" We'll be careful." Sakura fingered her pendant.

" You're out of your mind if you think your cards can stand up to draconian wrath." Syaoran stated flatly.

" It did before. I mean, the guy left us as soon as he saw me and Kero."

" That was one guy. You're talking many dragons. And other various deified sea beings."

" Oh. Good point."

" Nevertheless," Eriol stood, " I think it is safe to at least try. They are gods, not demons, and therefore the worst they could do is expel us."

" One of them did try to kill the kid. That doesn't really resonate with goodness."

" Perhaps he was a rogue. We're to find out."

" Let me propose a solution to you kids." Fujitaka called from the kitchen. " Why don't you call upon witnesses?"

" What do you mean?" Kero asked.

" Last time Li-san was attacked there was nothing watching over him. It was at night." Fujitaka replied. " Make a prayer to Amaterasu or Tsukiyomi so the dragons are forced to behave or face the consequences."

" Ah." Eriol nodded. " Incense, then. Though Kinomoto-san, I fear that in this particular case the dragons only answer to the Chinese Jade Emperor and not your, ah, Japanese gods."

Sakura was already getting the incense. " What do we do, ask the Jade Emperor to make sure the dragons don't misbehave?"

" Something like that." Eriol lit the incense with a flick of magic. " Just give him a head's up. Respectfully, of course."

oO

Syaoran, of course, had never been to the water kingdoms, so it was left entirely up to Eriol to get them there. They figured they were going to encounter some trouble, so Fujitaka set up a camp on the beach where Eriol set up barriers to protect those within the camp, and everyone prepared for a lengthy mission that could stretch several days.

Which was alright. It was summer, after all. The school year had ended by then.

" I don't think it is a good idea Daidouji-san." Eriol said to Tomoyo, who was, while holding her camera, pouting at the prospect of being unable to join the sorcerers. Where the waves lapped on the shore, Syaoran crouched very much as he did when he last saw the Dragon Prince. He called to the prince once, when the others were preoccupied, but as before, and as for many years, the prince never came.

" Maybe I am delusional." He said to Kero. " Would you guys hate me if I were?"

" I am frankly not sure if I prefer you delusional." Kero replied candidly. " Either way whoever attacked you was real, and if he really is the Dragon Prince, that ain't an illusion either. This is the only lead we have."

" We'd be annoying the Dragon King for nothing."

" Not nothing. While there we might get new leads. Who knows."

Syaoran nodded his head wearily. He watched as the water foamed around his shoes.

" Considering we're going underwater, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura was saying behind him, " I don't think the video camera would be all that happy."

" How exactly are you guys going underwater?" Touya asked, swinging a hammer. The tents were actually further up, because the tide would rise at night, but the older boy had come to check up on them. " You're not doing that whole Star Wars thing are you?"

" We're magicians." Sakura deadpanned. Then she turned to Eriol. " How _are _we going to do this?"

" Actually it will be more science than magic, really." Eriol replied. " If we use your Watery, Sakura-san, we can change the viscosity of the water around us to be similar to that of air, and we can also increase the solubility of oxygen."

" Nani?" Sakura blinked. " What does that mean?"

" Right. You're still in elementary school." Eriol looked a little frustrated. " Well that changes things. You wouldn't know how to do it." He turned to Syaoran. " Li-san, when you were with the Dragon Prince, did he ever—"

" Hai." Syaoran suddenly turned around. " He could make me breathe underwater."

Eriol paused. " You don't remember how to do it." He stated.

" I always assumed it was a god thing."

Everyone visibly deflated.

" That's a lot of help." Touya swung his hammer. " So what, air bubble?"

Syaoran suddenly thought of something. Once, when it was just beginning to turn chilly, the Dragon Prince had taken him swimming with…He stood up and began heading deeper into the water.

" Li-kun?" Tomoyo called, noticing this. " What are you doing?"

Syaoran did not answer, instead continuing to wade deeper into the water. " Er Taizi?" He called out. " Er Taizi?"

" Uh, kid, I don't think he'd answer you if he hasn't already." Kero began.

" Quiet." Syaoran hissed. He was not actually calling for the prince; he simply did not know what else to say. " Er Taizi? It is I, Li Xiaolang! Er Taizi? Oof!"

Syaoran suddenly disappeared under the water.

" Kid!" Kero yelled.

" Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried.

But Syaoran instantly emerged, dripping wet. " Ow!" He exclaimed, doubling over to hold his stomach while keeping his head above the water. " Ow!" He repeated.

" You alright?" Sakura asked, running a little into the water so that she splashed, but she instantly stopped when she saw, to her bafflement, a huge grayish shell sudden pop above the water. Syaoran turned away from it, still grimacing in pain. His body then jerked like someone had poked him under the water, and he reached out and grabbed the shell to balance himself.

" He slammed his beak right into my stomach!" Syaoran remarked loudly. " Argh! It was sore before but now it positively _hurts!_"

" Is this Dragon Prince a sea turtle?" Touya asked, sounding like he was absolutely stupefied.

" Iie." Eriol shook his head. " I see what happened. Li-san was actually calling for the turtle."

" Sounded like 'Second Prince' to me."

" He was using 'Second Prince' as a hail." Eriol replied. " He was calling for whoever worked for the Second Prince and might be able to slip away."

" How can you tell?"

" The fact that he doesn't seem at all surprised that there's a sea turtle he's using as a support at the moment?"

The turtle then dove under and disappeared. Syaoran began making his way back towards land.

" Are you alright?" Tomoyo asked.

" I think he bruised me."

" Where did he go?"

" Back. He's getting his friends." Syaoran grimaced. " Ow…"

" Are you sure you're alright?" Sakura asked with concern.

" I'll live."

Eriol decided not to ask Syaoran how he knew what the turtle was doing when the turtle did not even speak to him. Sakura had other ideas though.

" You can speak turtle now?" She asked. " Since when were you able to do that?"

" Speak turtle?" Syaoran gave her a surprised look. " What do you mean?" But then, he was smart enough to realize " You didn't hear him?"

" I sure as hell didn't." Kero landed on Sakura's shoulder. " Though it was pretty obvious _something _passed between you two. You know that turtle?"

" Uh, iie, but, he worked for Er Taizi." He blinked. Then he pointed. " There they are now."

The group dropped the subject to acknowledge the three shells floating on top of the surface of the water.

" Hey, how come there are only three?" Kero asked.

" Oh, you're not allowed to bring guardians." Syaoran told Sakura apologetically. " That would seem, uh, kind of offensive."

" That was quick!" Eriol was heading toward the water to meet the turtles. They began climbing ashore, much more slowly than they had been swimming. On the back of each was a wreath of lotuses.

" Why would it seem offensive?" Kero asked.

" Reinforcements?" Yue pointed out. " It would not do. Same reason why Emperors would not let you meet them while carrying weapons."

" We will be alright." Syaoran grunted a little as he straightened. " The Dragon King is expecting us. Those lotuses will help us breathe underwater until we reach the palace."

" I really don't like this!" Kero floated over to the leading turtle. " You drop them or anything," He warned.

The turtle just stared at him, tears streaming from his eyes and mixing with the sand, but if it could have an expression, it would be a flat one.

" Come on." Syaoran headed to one of the turtles, gesturing for Sakura to follow. " We'll join them when we've reached the water."

" Are you sure they can carry us?"

" In the water, of course they can." Syaoran replied. He was wading into the water, and it was actually very funny-looking, because both Eriol and Syaoran were faster than the turtles.

Dubiously, Sakura followed. This was not what she had expected. She saw Syaoran heave a nervous sigh and knew this was not what he expected either.

" You're telling me how you thought of this." She told Syaoran, who merely climbed onto the turtle, holding on to the edges of the shell. The lotus blossoms glowed and a pink mist wafted off to surrond him. They both went under.

" Looks like Li-san remembers more than we gave him credit for." Eriol copied Syaoran's movement. " Let's go."

Still rather anxious about the whole affair, Sakura grabbed on to her escort. She felt the comforting mist surround her and breathed in the scent.

Then she was speeding underwater.


	6. Hall of the Dragon King

The Dragon Prince

Hall of the Dragon King

Down into the murky depths, on the backs of the sea turtles and a trail of lotus mist in their wake. Far far below, until the light, scattering and refracting, no longer illuminated their surroundings. Though all could breathe fine, Syaoran could not help but feel the heaviness of fear and apprehension. He had never done this before, and it felt decidedly strange. He was not sure if he could have done this without Eriol and Sakura right there beside him. The water streamed past him and his hands ached as he held on, and he felt like the darkness was closing in on him.

_Hold on, _the turtle servant said, _We are almost there._

The castle gleamed like glowing coral and glimmered like polished crystal. Syaoran gasped at the sight of it. He knew, though he did not see, that Eriol and Sakura was stunned by the vision as well. Laid out, in the glowing tropical colors of reefs, the castle stretched out, far far below, like a grand underwater temple. As the turtles dove, several crab soldiers swam up, their pincers snapping at their spears and their strange mouths flickering as they demanded what was going on.

_You know what is going on, Fang. _Said the turtle escorting Syaoran. _This is the friend of Er Taizi, Li Xiaolang._

Syaoran sucked in a breath at that. So the prince did speak of him before. He wondered why none of these deities ever visited.

The crab soldier, eyes gleaming a little, stared at Syaoran for a moment, before turning around. " Oi!" He called out, this time in a voice that everyone could hear, though could not decipher because a stream of bubbles interrupted his speech, " Open the gates!"

The gates opened, and the turtles ducked their heads and swam in. They entered a courtyard and swam toward a fine-looking building. Once within its doors, the turtles slid to a stop on the floor and Syaoran got off the turtle.

" That," Eriol declared to Syaoran, " Has got to be the most interesting experience I can ever recollect in the future."

" We haven't even met the King yet." Sakura replied, sounding a bit nervous, though she lost none of her determination.

" Iie, you haven't." Said a woman. The trio turned to behold an elegant young lady, crowned in pearls and coral and clad in majestic robes. She looked breathtakingly beautiful, which was only marred by her imperious expression.

" Her Highness, Otohime." Came the announcement from one of the servant deities.

_Oh. _Syaoran wanted to disappear. _Well you dealt with the Dragon Prince just fine._

_But the Dragon Prince never glared at you. Well he glared, and it was scary, but never _at _you._

Until he tried to kill Syaoran.

Otohime entered the room with her nose upturned slightly in the air. Sakura stepped back unconsciously, in awe of the being. Syaoran found himself desperately seeking to gather his wits, and ended up trying to look for any familiar features on her face. She bore absolutely no resemblance to Ao Sheng.

" So this is the young mortal child my dear cousin befriended six years ago." She came in front of him, with a disdainful look on her face. " Just how old were you?"

Well! Her attitude was quite the thing! Syaoran found, to his secret delight, that her disdainful manner dispelled a lot of his potential regard for her. " How is that relevant?" He replied defiantly. " Either way, I am too young for you."

She considered him, at first incensed that he was so bold, but then she broke into laughter. She sounded genuinely amused, and much less scornful.

" True, that." She said, and regarded him a little more fondly. " I can see that the tales of your courage are no lies. Come, young Li. My uncle is waiting."

A little appalled, Syaoran followed her as she turned and started walking. Well, that was as confusing as things got. First she is condescending, and now she is civil all of the sudden? What for?

The hall of the Dragon King was nothing short of magical. The walls glowed with it, the floor and the ceiling. The people were graceful, they moved through the water as if dancing. The magic in the waters allowed the humans to breathe, and the children found, if they jumped, they can even swim a little, though there was some force that would make them "fall" back down. The princess bore this with more patience than Syaoran thought she had. They were, after all, not really hindering the progression toward the main court, and presently they arrived. The ceiling there was strewn with pearls of incredible size and in patterns of color befitting a Dragon King.

" Royal Uncle!" Otohime greeted, clasping her hands together in salute as they entered. " The humans have arrived."

The Dragon King of the Western Sea had a very handsome face, with a golden beard that somehow clashed with his Asian features. He, like his niece, wore a crown of coral and pearls, though much more ornate.

" Ah, so this is the child." He gestured regally, while the other members of the court turned their attention to the children. " Welcome, young ones. Feng Yu, please escort them to my private chambers. I will join them shortly."

Feng Yu, or Otohime, looked a bit miffed that she was now acting the part of a common butler, but she merely bowed, and following her example, the three humans bowed as well. She then led the way out of the courtroom, and the three followed.

" What's going on?" Sakura whispered to Syaoran. " I'm thoroughly lost."

" Me too." Syaoran replied quietly.

The rest of the way was silent, and Otohime took them to a large chamber that seemed to be some sort of office.

" As my Royal Uncle had stated, he shall be here with you shortly." She said. " Please make yourselves comfortable in the meantime. I will now take leave of you."

Feeling it was only proper, Syaoran bowed to her. " Thank you for guiding us." He said.

She gave him a stern look, but then touched his shoulder gently, in a comforting manner, before taking her leave without another word. The servants, who had been with them all this time, followed her out.

The three were left alone.

" Well." Eriol decided, " That could have been a lot worse."

" Guess when we prayed to the Jade Emperor he instantly told the Dragon King to expect us." Sakura suggested.

" Wonder why he wasn't offended though. We basically were doing it in case the King tries to, you know." Syaoran shrugged.

" Watch what you say around here." Eriol remonstrated. " But I doubt the Jade Emperor would reveal as much. Even if he does, one can hardly blame us."

" That was all pretty smooth passing." Sakura agreed with Eriol's earlier statement, as she studied the room and explored a little. " I got a little freaked out by the…I think those were crabs?"

" Hai." Syaoran replied. " Those were crabs."

" Weird." Sakura frowned. " But yeah…I don't know what we could have done if we didn't have the turtles to help out."

oO

The Dragon King, after greeting the kids in as friendly a manner as a dragon king could (which was actually considerable), sat down in his chair behind the desk in the office and got right down to business. The reason, he explained, that he was so welcoming of the humans, was because he wanted to apologize for the prince's attack of Syaoran.

" It started a year ago." The King explained. " Sheng'er's behavior was getting increasingly ridiculous. When it was just between deities, some things can be even overlooked, but now that he has gone so far as to hurt his human friend—it is inexcusable."

" What happened, exactly?" Syaoran asked, as the group helped themselves to some tea that the king had summoned.

" A year ago, it was shortly after my daughter's birthday, in fact," The King began, " My son began sneaking off in the middle of the night. We thought he was seeing some secret love of his." the King looked wistful. " And in any case, what he does in the night is no real matter, unless it interferes with his duties, which it has not. Then, one day, my brother, the Dragon King of the North, reported that his son saw Sheng'er in the castle the previous night in his courtroom, and in the morning they found that their safe was broken open, and the Immortal Pearl was missing. It showed up in Sheng'er's room."

Syaoran put down his cup, distressed. " Er Taizi wouldn't do that!"

If interrupting the King was improper, the Dragon King did not remark on it. " My thoughts were the same, when this happened. Sheng'er denied this, of course, and claimed that he was being framed. He was even able to name a possible suspect—the youngest son of my brother, the Dragon King of the East. Those two have never quite gotten along well, but we can not very well bring this issue up with my brother without proof."

Syaoran knew better than to interrupt this time, but he did not take his cup again, instead sitting forward anxiously.

" But then we had proof." The Dragon King shook his head. " Proof that it was, in fact, him. He slew a water serpent child. His magical signature was all over the scene. He started behaving erratically, and we feared that something, or someone had cursed him." The King sighed. " And now this."

Well. This was unexpected. They came here not quite knowing what to expect, really, but they all figured it had to be something along the lines of " Yes, we must kill you because of one reason or another" though that flew out the window as soon as the King decided to warmly welcome them; the other option was " Oops, we were trying to kill someone else, don't know what got into him."

They definitely were not expecting a " Sorry, prince went mad and you got the brunt of it."

Syaoran stood. " Your Majesty," He tried quietly, " Where is he? May I see him?"

The Dragon King looked at him intensely for a moment, stroking his beard thoughtfully. " I would advise against that, my child."

" Please." Syaoran pressed. " I—he was my best friend. I need to understand. Please."

He had to argue a little with the King. His Majesty was very reluctant, but in the end he agreed.

" Very well. In the name of your friendship with my second son, I will have you escorted to him."

" Where is he, exactly?" Syaoran asked. He got what he wanted, but he could not help but ask.

The King looked sternly at him. " The dungeons."

oO

The pathway to the dungeons was much darker and colder than the rest of the kingdom. It was in a separate building, far from the main palace. The octopi were the ones to lead the children, and the jellyfish took over when they reached the building. Their flourescent bodies illuminated the darkness and the children followed, a bit bewildered by the change from the imperial splendor of the palace to the dark, cold deathly feel of the dungeons. The walls seem to be coated with rust, and Syaoran wondered if the building had been constructed entirely from metal.

" Here we are." The jellyfish guard told them. He looked very human, except for his translucent body and flourescent light. His eyes, which were very black and dark, seemed to dig deep into Syaoran's soul as he stared. " Be careful. I will be right here. Call of you need anything."

Syaoran stared at the door that led to the cell that held the only friend he ever had before Tomoeda. For a long moment, he did not move.

" Do you want us to go in with you?" Eriol asked.

" Iie." Syaora shook his head. But he continued staring at the door.

" We'll be right here." Sakura promised.

He turned to his friends. _Friends. They are friends. _" Arigatou." He said sincerely.

Sakura replied with a smile of encouragement.

Syaoran raised his hand and placed it on the door handle. He took a deep breath and turned the handle.

He slowly opened the door and stepped through.


	7. Er Taizi

The Dragon Prince

Er Taizi

It was dark.

Syaoran stepped through carefully, heart thundering in his chest. He could not see anything, much less whether the prince was even there.

" Xiaolang!"

The familiar voice, edged with strain, resonated in the dark cell loudly, before being followed by the sound of chains.

_They chained him up._ Syaoran thought, feeling ill as he stepped back, frightened. Just how dangerous is he, now?

" Xiaolang!" This time, the prince's voice cracked, as if he was about to break.

Syaoran's heart pounded furiously in his chest as he lifted the light, illuminating the rusty stone walls.

Behind the iron bars, the Dragon Prince was clad in duller robes than Syaoran had ever seen him in. His left wrist was chained to the wall. It was the only part that was chained, but it was bad enough. He looked intently at the child when he stepped through again, but his tone was more subdued. He saw, the child knew, that Syaoran was not going to go away. Not if he came back. " Xiaolang."

Syaoran looked him over before replying. The prince looked pale and haggard. He was not dusty or dirty or injured in any way, but lines of stress crossed his eyes and his posture was more vulnerable than Syaoran could ever envision. What had transpired over the last year had clearly taken a toll on the deity. In those eyes, the noble wisdom was replaced with desperation, and now, silent, the prince's lips were pressed into a thin, grim line.

Syaoran held his gaze steadily for a while, but something made him braver, somehow, when before he had nearly been panicking with dread.

" Er Taizi." He said quietly.

Syaoran could not have known how beautiful his voice sounded to the prince. The dragon fell to his knees, the chains clattering. Startled, Syaoran barely managed to hold himself in place instead of leaping back in alarm. The chains prevented the prince from moving closer to the bars of the cell, but he reached out with his free hand to Syaoran in a voiceless plea.

Finding courage, somehow, Syaoran stepped closer to the bars. This person, this deity, had tried to kill him. He really should not endanger himself like this. But this was his friend, he knew. The same friend who, in his darkest, loneliest moments, had been there for him, had taken him out to the splendors of the open sea, the vastness of the skies, all so that a smile would grace his lips after a hard day. If the prince truly wished to kill him, Syaoran's life had already been his.

But the prince did not want to kill him. He took Syaoran's hands tightly, but squeezed, painful though it was, out of love and grief.

" Never thought I'd see you again." Er Taizi said softly. " You've grown."

" I'm eleven years old." Syaoran said softly, not pulling back, but trying not to wince, or do anything to betray his nervousness.

" Yes, yes, I know." Said the prince. " You are well?" He asked, looking up with shining eyes.

Syaoran originally had wanted to simply nod, but then he remembered being attacked. Saying it out loud felt awkward though, especially as the prince was so obviously distraught. " I have recovered, mostly." He said neutrally.

The prince's grip tightened. " I didn't do it." He said, almost crazed. " You must remember. You wouldn't have come if you don't remember. But it was long ago, for you, anyway, and you were young. But I loved you. I still do. I would never hurt you. Please believe me."

Syaoran was not sure what he wanted to hear, but he was stunned either way. " If you weren't the one, then who was it?"

" I…" The prince was speechless for a moment. " It was the Third Eastern Prince."

" Why would he do it?" Syaoran asked.

" I didn't do it." The prince's grip tightened.

Syaoran looked at him for a while.

" Why would the Third Eastern Prince do it?" Syaoran asked quietly.

" Because he thinks I killed his beloved." The prince said after a pause. " In fact he was the one that struck the killing blow, but he plans on getting revenge on me!"

Syaoran did not really need to know the details at the moment. " How?" He asked. " These are gods. How is he fooling everyone?"

" He stole my blood." The prince threw up his hands, his fingers stiff and cold and his face contorted in agony. " He had everything thought out." He then blinked, his expression smoothing out so it was once again stony. " I swear," He said at last, " I would never harm you, ever."

" I know," Syaoran reached out, and the prince stared at his hand stupidly for a moment. The dragon then looked up and stared at Syaoran. " I know. You're my best friend. You were what made me who I am. Besides, even if you wanted to kill me, I wouldn't object. My life was yours anyway."

The prince reached out, not taking his hand at first, and Syaoran realized he was crying. The prince he took Syaoran's hand, then lowered his head, squeezing it intensely, but Syaoran was no longer afraid.

" Don't say that." Said the prince. " If anything, my life was yours."

" We need to get you out of here." Syaoran whispered. " How do I get you out of here?"

The prince's head snapped up. " Don't." He warned, his fingers tightening around Syaoran's, though for a different reason now. " You'll get in trouble. Don't try to break me out."

" Well I need to do something." Syaoran hissed, frustrated. " You're innocent!"

The prince looked at him with watery eyes. " You're the only one that believes that." He said despondently.

" Well, we're going to change that."

The prince let out a laugh, but his eyes were full of endearment as he looked at the boy. " Syaoran, I have been dealing with these people for thousands of years. You are only eleven. If I am in this position, there is nothing you can do to change this."

" No." Syaoran squeezed his fingers back. " I can. Because I am eleven years old and I'm human and I was supposedly attacked by you. They'll listen to me."

The prince shook his head. " They're wise to that trick. Don't do it. You'll bring more trouble onto yourself. It's not worth it."

" Oh shut up!" Syaoran flung the prince's hand away, shouting loudly now. " You have _no _idea what it did to me, you leaving! You have _no _idea what you meant to me! You were the only person I had! The _only person I had!_ If it weren't for you I'd be some bumbling wimp who by now is probably still in Hong Kong, locked away all the time so no one would know that the Li clan had someone like me. So don't you dare tell me what's worth it!"

He was crying, hot streaks of angry tears now, somehow not mixing with the seawater around him, and he heaved, not to sob, but to relieve the rage building in his chest.

" I won't let this happen to you." Syaoran promised with determination. " Tell me what happened. From the beginning."

The prince's breath caught for a second, and he sighed. " It's a long story."

" Well, I'm not going anywhere."

Syaoran even sat down, prepared for a lengthy stay.

The prince smiled a little. Yes, this child could be stubborn at times. Very well. He owed the boy that much.

" The Third Eastern Prince and I were never best of friends. We were never enemies before, but we were not close." He sighed. " Several years ago he met the sea nymph, Lina, and I guess they fell in love. I could not care less."

Syaoran did not respond. The only indication that he was listening was his familiar, intense gaze. Somehow it was comforting, knowing that some things have not changed.

_Like his faith in me._ He felt a little ill at that. He had basically abandoned the boy; not of his own choosing, but all the same. Still, the child…he had so readily believed in him.

Surely though, the boy had prevailed. His whole demeanor spoke of confidence, something that had not been there six years ago. There was that mature grace—Xiaolang will, indeed, become a great being. If he has not already.

" Go on." Syaoran prompted.

" I don't even remember her name." He shook his head. " I did not even know what she had looked like. It had been a stressful day, she posed as a servant girl and got me intoxicated and…" His face began to burn. Eleven years is very young.

" What happened?" Syaoran asked, not understanding.

The prince shook his head. " The Third Eastern Prince thought she was having an affair with me." He replied. " So he confronted me about it. She set me up." There, that would glide the story over nicely without tainting the young mind. " She actually did not love him. Was in love with the Water Scorpion, who had some mysterious grudge of his own with the Third Prince."

He glanced at Syaoran to see a long-suffering look on the child's face. " Did you expect this matter to be simple?"

" Iie." Syaoran replied unhappily. " But it all sounds retarded. How can gods have such—"

" They weren't gods." The dragon sighed. " They were lesser beings. Demons, if you will. The nymph was a water serpent. The Water Scorpion, well. But the Water Scorpion happened to be one of the lieutenants in my father's army of sea scorpions. He was very powerful, for his kind, anyway. I am not sure what his intention was. I had killed him when I learned that he was the one to set the Third Prince up." He sighed. " But that was later. The Third Prince confronted me, tempers rose, the Water Serpent got in the middle and he accidentally killed her."

The child swallowed. He wanted nothing more than to embrace the boy, but the chains prevented him from edging any closer to the bars.

" What happened then?"

" He somehow got some of my blood from the fight. I guess on his robes." He shook his head. " I had plenty of his on mine, after all. Later on I learned he was posing as me, stealing stuff from our uncle's palace. At one point he killed a servant while posing as me, and used my blood to make it seem like it was my magic that did it. That, by itself, did not matter all that much, but I was getting increasingly frustrated. I did not know what to expect, at the time. I guess I played right into his plot. People started doubting me, while he behaved all quiet and properly mourning, when in fact he was trying to get me. I was always a step behind. He moved too fast. I was always left to take care of the mess somehow, and before I could move on he had struck again. I had no idea he had so much time on his hands. Someone must have been posing as him, all the while, because no one ever noticed him gone, and he was always careful to strike whenever I was not seen. I tried to make a point of always having a witness, but then he started killing them too, somehow. I would leave the room for two minutes and then when I come back the servant would be dead, and people thought I was responsible."

The child looked miserably at him. " And then he posed as you and hurt the King before coming to get me?"

The prince nodded. " I am sorry, Xiaolang."

" How did he know about me?"

The prince bit his lip. " I spoke of you. Often." He lowered his head. " I wanted to remind my family that I had someone above the sea that I care about. I was hoping my father would take the hint and allow me to visit you…before…"

" Before I die?" The boy's eyes were glistening again.

" I don't know if you understand." The prince said softly. " A hundred years passes so quickly. I was afraid that you would die for decades and I wouldn't even know. Heck, what if something killed you and you didn't even get to live that long? There wouldn't be a way for me to know. My duties would have occupied my time so thoroughly."

The child wrung his hands in distress. " So he came to get me? Does he hate you that much?"

The prince just sighed.

Syaoran rubbed his eyes in an effort to calm himself.

" How come no one noticed how obvious everything was?"

" I was always surprised. I didn't hide my surprise well."

" So?"

" They thought I was just berserk." The dragon smiled wryly.

Syaoran rubbed his eyes again. " Ugh. I can't believe this is happening."

" It'll be alright." The prince looked at him sadly. " I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Xiaolang."

" It's fine." Syaoran shook his head. " It wasn't your fault."

This reminded the prince of something the boy had said earlier.

" What did he hit you with?" The prince asked, remembering how his father had, irately, thundered that the spell he allegedly used was barbaric. Syaoran had said he recovered. It sounded like he meant he had _just _recovered.

" He hit me with a spell."

" What spell?"

Syaoran was silent.

Frightened now, the dragon stood. " What spell, Xiaolang?"

" It doesn't matter. I'm better now."

" Xiaolang, don't alienate me like this." The prince begged.

Syaoran paused. " He hit me with Scavenger's Mouth."

Horror flooded him. Scavenger's Mouth—was it not enough that he had tried to kill the child, but that bastard actually hit him with—

" What are they going to do with you?" Syaoran broke into his thoughts.

The prince did not answer. He just stared at Syaoran in dismay.

Syaoran understood his silence. " I won't let them."

" Xiaolang—"

But Syaoran had rushed from the room, the door swinging closed on its own accord. He turned back at that, but decided it was not important. Inside, the prince yanked furiously at the chains. " Xiaolang!" He cried out. But the child would not be able to hear him.

_Scavenger's Mouth, the boy got hit with Scavenger—he actually used that spell—_the dragon began pacing. What is he going to do?

" Ready to go?" The jellyfish guard asked outside. " Any longer and I would have been worried about some secret plotting." He gave Syaoran an apologetic look.

Syaoran turned to his friends, his expression stony. " Let's go."

Without a word, he started off. Sakura and Eriol exchanged a look, before wordlessly following him.


	8. Otohime

The Dragon Prince

Otohime

" What do you think is going on in there?" Sakura asked Eriol. She felt like she had drunk enough tea to melt her insides.

Eriol turned to the shimmering bead curtains that covered the hall leading to the King's meeting chamber. " I don't know." Eriol replied quietly. " But whatever it is, it had something to do with his hurried exit from the Prince's cell."

" I hope he's okay." Sakura bowed her head. Syaoran's eyes had held a light she had never seen before. It was one that made him look more than formidable. She was even a little scared, when she first saw him emerge, like some spirit back from the dead. He looked so stony, like a statue carved from marble.

" They seem benign enough." Eriol said to Sakura. " He will be alright."

" Hai." Sakura tried to smile. It did not quite reach her eyes. She had a feeling that whatever was going on, pained her friend considerably. It had not really occurred to her at the time, but earlier when Syaoran was still recuperating, it was the first time she had ever seen Syaoran cry. Li Syaoran does not cry. Li Syaoran is never scared.

In the Dragon King's office, the royal monarch looked at the boy with a mix of sympathy and irritation, both held in check by a wavering patience.

" Child," He said softly, " We have dealt with this for a year."

" I know." Syaoran broke in. " Compared to immortality, one year is short. Don't you think all the incriminating evidence is a little _too _incriminating?"

The Dragon King shook his head. " You have no proof that it is the Third Eastern Prince. Nor would the Jade Emperor care to look further. The execution will commence."

Syaoran gritted his teeth. " Then tell me how to talk to the Jade Emperor."

The gall. " Child, the Jade Emperor is not your school principal. You do not just walk to him and demand his audience."

" I'm not going to sit here and let my friend get executed for things he did not do. He is sentenced for trying to hurt me, to kill me. I say that he did not do it."

" It is not that simple, child."

Syaoran crouched down, hugging himself tightly, feeling the world, watery and moving as it was, closing in around him, and himself shrinking in and crushed under its weight. He was aware of the Dragon King sighing, of the god bending over him and start to pull him up.

" Child, move on. Forget about my doomed son. You have a life to live, yet. This is an affair amongst immortals, not your kind."

" How long?" Syaoran whispered. " How long before…?"

" By the end of the year in your world." Said the Dragon King softly. " You may visit him again, if you would like."

Syaoran shuddered.

Outside, Eriol began pacing.

" What is it?" Sakura asked.

" He's in there too long." Eriol shook his head. " I feel uneasy."

" He wouldn't hurt Syaoran, would he?"

" Of course not." Eriol shook his head, as the servants gave them odd looks at that. " Doesn't change that I feel uneasy."

Sakura fell silent at this.

" He is here?" They heard a familiar voice ask. The children turned to the door to see Otohime step into the room.

She took one look at the beaded she turned to the children. " What is he in there for?"

" Uh…" Eriol began to stall for time, " We are…not sure."

" Hm." Otohime looked at them. " So he is innocent then."

" Hoe?"

Looking grim, the Dragon Princess considered the curtains for a moment again.

" How long have they been in there?" She asked.

" Well," Eriol replied neutrally, " We were not paying attention."

" Indeed," The princess's eyes flashed. " You went to visit the Second Prince. And then came straight here. It is nearing dusk now. You have been here quite a while."

Eriol was silent, and Sakura followed his example. Otohime was the daughter of the Eastern Dragon King. She looked every inch the powerful being she was.

She waved at the servant near the door. " Tell my Royal Uncle that I request his audience. At once."

Sakura started, afraid Otohime had sinister intentions, but Eriol waved her back. This was among gods, and she stood no chance. He did not either. They kept their peace as the servant went inside, and then came out to call her in.

Syaoran stood at the Dragon King's side as Otohime entered the room.

" Ah, niece." Said the Dragon King. " Is there a problem?"

" Is my cousin innocent?" She asked bluntly.

The King looked at her steadily, but she was glancing down at the boy. Syaoran met her gaze neutrally.

" Otohime." Said the King at last, " This affair has been settled."

" Appearances can be deceiving." She replied coldly. She then turned upon Syaoran. " What have you learned?"

Syaoran glared. " What does it matter?"

Though amused before, the princess was not so patient with him now. " I want none of your cheek, mortal. Answer my question."

" Your brother framed my best friend." Syaoran decided to return her bluntness with a blunt answer of his own. " Of course, there's nothing any of us can do about that. You can go home and gloat about getting away with it all." In the heat of rage, a tear escaped, unbidden, from his eyes, and dropped to the floor. Syaoran maintained her gaze.

It was the tear that moved the princess, however. " So you consider him your best friend as well." She noted.

" Otohime. Is this all?" The King stated more than questioned.

" Royal Uncle." The princess's tone was more subdued. " If I may speak to the child?"

" I have nothing more to say to him." The King replied. " If you can escort him out along the way,"

" I will, uncle." The princess bowed. She moved, then, as if to take Syaoran's hand, but then thought the better of it.

" And behave yourself." The King remonstrated, the expression on his face stating clearly that all this talk of his son's supposed innocence was taking its toll on him.

The two joined the children outside. Once there, Otohime waved for the servants to leave them.

" What do you want with us?" Syaoran asked coldly when everyone left.

" Us?" The princess repeated. " If you truly wish to drag your friends into this, 'us' will do very well."

" What do you mean?" Syaoran asked, before Eriol or Sakura could say anything. " Drag them into what?"

" For Heaven's sake," The dragon princess replied moodily, " I am about to possibly ruin my own brother for my cousin. What sort of intrigue do you suppose that counts as?"

" You believe him?" Syaoran asked, losing his composure and looking as vulnerable as Sakura had ever seen him.

Otohime glared at him, though her anger, obviously, was not directed at him. " I believe _you. _We had some doubts as to whether or not you even existed, what with wild tales of some four-year-old saving Sheng'er, and having…" She trailed off suddenly, her eyes intense.

Syaoran could only blink at that. " Having no magic?" He deadpanned.

Sakura made a face. " Nani?"

Syaoran scowled. " Hai. It might come as a surprise to you, Sakura, but compared to the rest of the Li family I'm nothing to speak of. I might as well just say I am non-magical and maybe catch them by surprise."

" I just didn't realize…" Sakura stammered, dismayed.

" Why would that make a difference?" Syaoran demanded. " I'm real, as you can see. Er Taizi and I spend a year together. Then he left because the Western Dragon King called him to assume his duties and I never saw him again. Until now, anyway."

" Hm. So you do not understand." Otohime gestured at the chairs. " This can take a while. I need to explain something to you."

After some hesitation, they all took a seat.

" What don't I understand?" Syaoran asked when the princess did not start immediately.

" We were told that he was fighting the Nine-Headed Serpent when you saved him."

Syaoran nodded. " He said that to me too. It did have a lot of heads, I remember."

" He did not tell you that he was poisoned?"

Syaoran swallowed. His look said it all. He had no idea.

" The reason he was given so much free time," The princess said gravely, " Was because he had to purge the poison first."

Memories rushed at Syaoran in a flash; the prince ruffling his hair with a serene smile, telling Syaoran to eat the chocolate instead of sharing; _" I have a lot of free time. Call me whenever you feel the need."; _Nights in the trees, the prince calling to owls and letting Syaoran pat one—

" I didn't know." He said solemnly. " I didn't know he was sick."

" Your presence was the source of healing." Otohime explained.

" How?"

" Your…adoration." Otohime said finally. " We deities are powered by mortal love. We thought all this time that he had been harvesting the love of many individuals to heal himself. We did not believe him when he claimed that a single child was enough to rid him of the poison in so short a time."

Syaoran was beginning to understand. He remained silent though. More tears dropped from his eyes, but he hardly noticed.

Sakura glanced at Syaoran, then at Eriol, feeling uncomfortable. It felt like they were intruding on Syaoran, digging too deep into his personal life, his personal feelings.

" Why help him for that?" Syaoran asked. " I do not see how this is related."

Otohime looked at him. " He is my cousin." She said simply.

Syaoran wiped at his cheeks. It did not make sense to him, but he did not wish to ask any more. " So." His voice was steady, though a little rough. " What do we do?"

" Figure out what happened. How it was done." Otohime replied. " You should not stay here long. My brother has more influence than I do. If he suspects, we will all suffer the consequences."

" Will I hear from you?" Syaoran asked.

Otohime nodded. " You have your influence, and I have mine." She said.

" Ha." Syaoran laughed bitterly. " I doubt my so-called 'influence' is worth mentioning."

Sakura glanced from one to the other, feeling that she was incredibly confused, so confused that she did not know who to ask to clarify things, or even _what _to clarify.

" What exactly is going on?" Eriol asked.

" Your friend will inform you, I am sure." Otohime rose elegantly from her seat. " Come. The turtles will lead you out."

Eriol and Sakura exchanged a look. Syaoran just looked exhausted. The princess led the way out, and they followed in silence. On the way, the servants bowed as she passed. Syaoran went with his head bowed. They had never seen him look more morose.

" Syaoran-kun," Sakura dared to whisper, " What's going on? What is she talking about?"

" I'll tell you later." Syaoran said wearily. " Let's just go. We've apparently been down here for hours."


	9. The Other Side of Heaven

The Dragon Prince

The Other Side of Heaven

Otohime walked briskly down the hall, ignoring the stares. She had no time for the pests, a feeling which she had actually grown unaccustomed to over the years. Over the decades, humans have become more and more competent at taking care of themselves. They maintained a respectful reverence of the gods, but the gods have found it less and less necessary to become involved in mortal affairs. Life under the sea had gotten idle. They had all the time in the world.

The water serpents hissed at her. She ignored them all, except for the young woman up ahead, who was looking up at her with some surprise.

" Your Highness." Said the young demoness, as Otohime reached her. " What brings you here?"

Otohime wasted no time grabbing the vixen by the throat. " I see you found it funny to keep things from us."

Despite the flash of fear in the pale gray eyes, the demoness replied, steadily enough, " I have no idea what you speak of."

" The boy." Otohime threw the girl down.

It took some time for the other to comprehend. " Li Xiaolang?" She guessed, cautiously.

" Are there other boys you have been hiding from us?"

" I have not hidden any boy." The demoness gave the princess a long-suffering look. " Not to mention, you dragons were so _eager_ to believe the child could not have existed. Fate of your imperial lineage in the hands of a single mortal child–I simply could not bring myself to bother."

Dragons were hardly known for their infinite patience, and in a flash of temper at the girl's cheek, the princess threw her hand, causing the girl's body to be thrust into the wall. The other serpent demons hissed in agitation, but did not interfere. Despite being outnumbered, the Dragon Princess was more than a match for them all.

" I will not have this from you." Otohime warned. " Tell me what you know, or I will rip your throat out."

" Then you wouldn't know what I'd have to say."

" Oh trust me," Otohime's eyes gleamed, " I will have it either way. Either tell me painlessly, or I will tear it out of you, literally."

The serpent girl swallowed. " They wish to control the Pacific by breaking apart the royal family."

" Who?"

" I don't know." The serpent girl hurriedly added, " Whoever they are, they do not come from the Pacific. They come from the Atlantic, some demon that sprouted from the carcasses of those who sank without a word."

Otohime's first thought was the Bermuda Triangle, but among gods the Bermuda Triangle was not an unusual place. " You mean those who were betrayed." she realized. " Drowned, or not."

The girl's eyes alone affirmed this. " Over the years they have lost all memory except the lust for vengeance. The shore has been claimed by mortals, and beneath the land has been claimed by demons. The sea remains the final battleground."

" And we are the only ones in their way." Otohime frowned. " What of the child? You say that he is a determinant of our fate."

" Not just a determinant." Said the girl softly. " The only one."

" Why him?"

" Because he saved the life of the Second Western Prince."

Otohime paused. " How is that relevant?"

" The original intent, as far as I was able to tell," The demoness was still rubbing at her throat, but she wisely continued, " Was to turn all the members of the royal family against each other. The Third Eastern Prince was attacked first."

" Attacked physically?"

" And mentally."

" Go on."

" It worked. The Third Eastern Prince was able to forget centuries' worth of affection for his dear cousins. He hated the Second Western Prince especially because of the prince's attachment to a mortal child. This made the Second Western Prince an easy target. They were to attack the Second Western Prince second. But things went wrong."

" What happened?"

" Li Xiaolang gave the Second Western Prince immunity against such attacks. A mortal's love and loyalty is more powerful than mere worship. The attack did not work, and what was more, the Second Prince began to suspect."

" Why not target the Second Prince first?"

" Third Prince was a better target. He wanted love."

Otohime sneered a little, remembering that water serpent girl. " Her."

" Hai."

Just as well she had been killed, Otohime decided. She never liked that snake her brother practically drooled over. " What kept the Second Prince from voicing his suspicions?"

" As far as I know?" the demoness shrugged. " He didn't know what he suspected. Just that there was something off about the Third Prince. And about everyone, for that matter."

Hm. That is as much as Otohime would want to know. " What about the child?" She asked. " Is he in danger?"

" Oh, most definitely." The girl replied, her eyes glinting a little. " Without the boy, the plan would commence flawlessly. That is why they are so anxious to kill the prince. But now that the child knows the prince is innocent, they will target the boy. A double confirmation that the royal family has no protection at all. In addition, there was talk that his flesh, when consumed, gives godhood."

Otohime blanched. " How many think this? Is it true?"

" I have no idea."

Otohime inhaled sharply. " You know any member of this little group?"

The girl was silent.

" Maiko!"

The demoness frowned a little at the name, but did not respond to that. Instead, she replied, " I only know that one of them plans on befriending the boy. I do not know if it is a he or she, what form they will take, or even if this would be the first time the two meet. Perhaps your Jade Emperor could provide more of the answers you so desire."

Otohime turned around and walked briskly out, the way she came. They were done here.

Behind her, several serpent girls went over to the one Otohime had called 'Maiko', who scowled hideously at her departing figure.

" No 'thank you'?" She muttered. " Good for nothing ingrates."

oO

" Where were you?"

Otohime shrugged off her cloak, repressing a sigh. Some servant girls took it from her; she did not look to see who it was. " What does it matter? Did you want something?"

Her brother frowned. " I heard some mortals went to the West Kingdom. Is he trying to bail him out?"

This time Otohime did sigh. " Why are you so worried?"

" Because that bastard will get away with it again!"

" Ping'er," Otohime said flatly to the Third Eastern Prince, " The execution was ordained by the Jade Emperor himself. Even if the mortals did come by to 'bail him out', it would hardly suffice."

" Then why were they there for so long?"

Sometimes, the best lie is the truth. " They were there for closure. The child was that Li Xiaolang, the boy Ao Sheng claimed saved his life six or so years ago." The princess headed into her bedroom, pushing aside the curtain of strings of pearls. She heard beads click against each other as her brother followed.

" So the boy was real?" Her brother asked, as Otohime reclined on the bed wearily.

Otohime stared at him. He was faking it; she knew. Her brother was never able to fool her; he had learned long ago not to try. Obviously something is the matter with him. She decided, however, not to point out that she could tell he already knew something. That he had attacked the child himself. That would serve no purpose, except to antagonize him.

" The child is real." She said quietly.

" Indeed!" The prince's face morphed into that of wonder, one that looked almost genuine. " So that worthless bastard did tell the truth after all. Mortal child comes all the way to the sea bed to find answers. Why his dear friend wanted to kill him. What happened?" He asked.

Otohime closed her eyes. She was tired of playing these games, tired of all the acting, the show, the manipulations. " What do you mean?"

" Well, did the kid find out?"

" Of course. He left, after all."

Displeased with this answer, her brother huffed. " Well, what kind of answer did he get?"

" I would not know." Otohime replied quietly. " I was not with him the entire time. If you truly wish to know, you may ask our Royal Uncle himself."

No, the Third Prince was not so daft that he would face the uncle he betrayed. " Well, I suppose it does not matter."

_Indeed._ Otohime thought, but did not voice it out loud.

" Where were you earlier?" She heard him ask.

" Since when were you so interested in what I do?" Otohime replied coolly. " Are you going to just stand there? I am very tired."

" What made you tired?"

Otohime glared at him. " I just spent a whole day at Royal Uncle's palace, explaining to some mortal children why their friend is about to be killed. I think that speaks for itself. Are you done interrogating me?"

For a long time silence reigned. Without a word, the Third Prince turned and left the room. Otohime heard the beads sway as he parted them, then closed her eyes.

_Royal family in the hands of a child. _Sounded ridiculous back then, and still did now, but the idea was much more troubling. There was something about the boy, yes; he was no ordinary boy, and undoubtedly could pull off something remarkable—but he was eleven years old. Just how remarkable could he be?

" Hime,"

Otohime opened her eyes. It was a servant girl—a young cuttlefish deity, with large, beautiful eyes and sweet features. She was usually a curious child, and highly intelligent and perceptive.

" Kouika." She said softly. " What are you doing here?"

" Hime was out late." Said the girl. " I was a bit worried. Third Prince stayed here the entire time waiting; I was not sure if he was giving Hime trouble."

" Nothing I could not deal with." Otohime sighed. She then thought of something. " How much do you know of what transpired in the West Kingdom?"

The girl hesitated. " There was talk of some child, some Li Wolf, who visited Second Western Prince."

" No, you must not say that." Otohime rebuked. " Regardless of whether he visited the Second Western Prince—you must not mention it. What do you know of the boy?"

" He was the Second Western Prince's friend." Kouika said uncertainly. " I have heard stories that he saved the Second Western's Prince once."

" That is true." Otohime sat up. " Will you do something for me, Kouika?"

" Anything for Hime." Said the girl readily.

" I need you to look after the child." Otohime ordered. " Someone might try to harm him. I need you to ensure that this does not happen."

Kouika blinked in amazement, but replied, " Hai, Hime."

Otohime nodded. " Do you know what he looks like?"

" Hai."

" Do not let him know I sent you. Do not let him know your name. You must be discrete. There are others watching, and they cannot suspect that you know fo their plans, or that I know of their plans."

" I understand, Hime."

" Good. You know what to do."

" Hai, Hime." The girl bowed.

Otohime waved, dismissing her, and felt her heart ease a little. Hopefully this boy was the answer they were all looking for, but if not, at the very least she could attempt to avoid the loss of an innocent life.


	10. Discussions

**Summary: When he was four years old and friendless, Li Syaoran rescued and befriended a Dragon Prince. A year later, the prince had to leave him. Six years later, the prince returned to try to kill Syaoran. But Syaoran is determined to believe the prince still loved him. Is this true? Can the group save him from the prince, or whoever the prince works for?**

The Dragon Prince

Discussions

" You know," Touya stoked the campfire while everyone else sipped their hot chocolate, " Gods having sex scandals and goddesses barfing up junk food sounds all right in stories and legends on new year's, but when it actually it happens it sounds pretty retarded."

" Doesn't help that he actually had sex with her." Eriol tossed a log into the flames. Touya yelled, drawing his hands back sharply.

" Hey, watch it!"

" I still don't get how you are so certain he actually had 'sex' with her." Syaoran glared at Eriol.

" Li-san," Eriol replied in a long-suffering tone, " I know he's your idol and all, but he had sex with a water nymph. Probably ashamed as he could ever possibly be, which would explain why he did not just say it, but posing as a servant girl and getting him intoxicated? It is obvious what happened."

" I don't see it either." Sakura shook her head.

" Me neither." Tomoyo blinked. " How does that translate into them…er, having sex?"

" You know," Fujitaka broke in, giving the three youngest members of the group a stern look, " I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that you three are taking this sex thing so casually. You two are eleven."

" We're old enough!" Syaoran protested. " Besides, I have older sisters."

" Oni-chan's manga has a lot of naked people." Touya's face reddened at this.

" We know what sex is." Tomoyo replied. " Learned it in school. Well, kind of. Something about sperms and eggs."

At Fujitaka's glare, Touya retorted, " Hey, they were just there. I didn't buy them _because _of the naked, er—"

" Considering it's Japanese manga," Eriol interrupted wearily, " Unless Touya only reads Powerpuff girls, I think drawings of naked people would come with the package. But we're straying off topic. The point is, Ao Sheng apparently slept with the Third Eastern Prince's girlfriend, whatever her name is, who happens to be a water serpent demon that is actually in love with a Water Scorpion lieutenant. Now the Third Prince killed her in an angry brawl with Ao Sheng and for some reason decides to displace all his guilt on Ao Sheng and manages successfully to do so despite the reputed omniscience of deities. I think we have a slight problem here."

Despite their declaration that they were old enough, neither Sakura nor Syaoran could understand what the significance was.

" Suffice to say," Yue replied moodily, " What ended up happening was very bad for your dear prince."

" But that in itself would not be so bad if we did not have a homicidal third prince." Eriol pointed out. " And if he managed to frame the Second Prince so thoroughly, I'm not sure there is anything _we _can do."

" Well, as long as he is truly innocent, there has got to be some way." Syaoran stood up with a jerk, his hot chocolate slushing in its mug. He set it down in the sand and stomped off.

" Syaoran-kun," Sakura started, but Kero held her back.

" That gaki, heading out like that with the tide coming up." He muttered. " You stay here. I'll go after him before he hurts himself."

But Syaoran had only gone to the edge of the rocks. The water splashed at the wall below and some splattered over his shoes, but he was hardly even wet. He sat down staring over waters at the moonlight glistening on the surface.

" Hey kid," Kero landed on the ground next to him, " We ought to stick together. Beaches aren't safe at night, you know.

Syaoran heaved a deep breath. " I need to do some spying."

Kero decided not to point out that there was no way Syaoran could mess with immortals and get away with it. " Why?"

" Third Eastern Prince must have left some hints." He folded his arms. " We just need to know where to look."

" Come back." Kero urged. " Let's discuss this. Don't sit out here alone. It's getting cold."

Syaoran sighed.

" Don't do that." Sakura said as she took Syaoran's mug away. " And don't put your mug in the sand either. Now it's all full of sand and you can't drink this chocolate anymore."

" Here, have another one." Yue held out another steaming cup neutrally.

" We'll all have to pee a lot tonight."

" Are you taking it or not?"

Syaoran took the mug.

" We heard you back there, by the way." Eriol said to him gravely as he sat back down on the mat. " Not all of it, just when you were yelling. We're your friends too, you know. We'll be glad to help you help him, but don't give us the cold shoulder like that."

Syaoran remembered instantly how he had yelled at the prince. " Ugh." He groaned.

" What?" Touya huffed. " Got something to hide?"

" What's the point?" Syaoran swallowed the hot liquid. " Argh!" He exclaimed.

" It was steaming you know." Kero deadpanned.

" He did it on purpose." Touya observed.

Tongue and palate tingling from the burn, Syaoran wiped at his eyes as the sand blew into them. " What utter rot. It may come as a shock to you, but I do happen to care about those who were good to me, and I don't appreciate hearing that I'm supposed to sit here and do nothing while he's awaiting execution."

" He's getting executed?" Sakura asked.

" Penalty for hurting a mortal." Syaoran wiped his eyes.

" Why didn't you tell the King the truth then? To delay it all? Or the princess?"

" I did!" Syaoran snapped at her. " You think the King ordered the execution?"

" Well…" Sakura looked like she had just been snapped. " I mean…who else would?" She asked, hurt.

" The Jade Emperor." Eriol replied, as Syaoran purposefully burned his mouth again by taking another gulp of the steaming chocolate.

" Stop doing that." Fujitaka took the mug away from the boy. " This is not your fault, and hurting yourself like this isn't going to help."

" Hurting mortals is a serious crime from a deity. It means they have fallen from godhood and become evil demons." Eriol continued to explain. " When a demon becomes good they don't necessarily become deities, but they are granted titles and privileges of a deity as a reward. When deities become evil, however, they must be executed. It is too dangerous to leave them running around."

" But he didn't become evil. It was all the Third Eastern Prince." Tomoyo protested.

" He's the third _Eastern_ prince." Syaoran spat. " Fine choice, I think, youngest son of the most powerful freaking Dragon King. No wonder he got away with it all. West was always the weakest. And what with the Jade Emperor never bothering to interfere with stuff until someone tattles to him. He's always sitting up there watching fairies dance."

" You don't know that." Eriol pointed out. " It was just how he was portrayed."

" Well he sure isn't doing anything to dispel that portrayal, is he?"

" So what, appeal to the Jade Emperor?"

" Would he listen?"

" I think," Yue reminded everyone, " The issue we should consider first is _how _we're going to even reach said Jade Emperor."

A silence fell. The fire flickered. Touya groaned.

" Can someone else take care of the fire for once?" He complained.

Before Eriol could move, Syaoran was already up, slamming several sticks into the pile. He heaved a deep breath as he straightened. " Kami-sama." He then looked at everyone. " Gomen nasai."

" What for?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran shook his head and rubbed his temples. " I didn't actually intend to drag you all into this."

" You didn't know there was anything to drag us into." Eriol said quietly. " I was half expecting your prince to be either mad or simply nonexistent."

" Well he's not."

" That much is clear."

Syaoran turned away from the group, facing the ocean. " He had everything planned out. Except for me."

" What do you mean?" Kero asked.

Syaoran sat down again. " He can't possibly have planned anything about me. He doesn't even know me."

" Sounded like he knew enough. He certainly recognized you."

" Hai." Syaoran replied. " He recognized me by…matte—how _did _he recognize me anyway?"

" Good question." Yue replied. " I would assume it would require some spying about the Li clan, and then, once it became clear you were actually in Tomoeda, some spying about you."

" He's probably been spying on all of us." Kero huffed. " Assuming he isn't still doing so."

" Wouldn't have a reason to." Syaoran shook his head. " Er Taizi is already locked up, waiting to be executed. If he does any more he'd let everyone know that Er Taizi was _not _the one responsible. He's probably back in his palace, gloating." He frowned. " Oh great. What if he hears we visited, say."

" How would he learn?"

" Word gets around." Eriol rose to his feet. " Especially as Otohime is his sister."

" She was talking about helping. Is this what she meant? She's going to turn on her brother for her cousin?"

" Why would she do that?" Touya asked.

" Probably they were closer." Syaoran looked like he was sore, and Fujitaka went to his cooler to get him some cold water.

" You shouldn't have burned yourself like that." He said gently, handing Syaoran a water bottle.

Syaoran took it wordlessly.

" Are you alright?" Kero asked.

" What do you think?" Syaoran took a drink, rinsing his mouth as he did. " Everyone seems keen on taking advantage of me."

" What do you mean?" Sakura exclaimed, aghast.

" I hardly think the Dragon Prince would have the mind to take advantage of you." Eriol said gently. " From what you told us, he gave as much love to you as he took from you."

" Yeah, I know." Syaoran capped the bottle. " Still sucks that the only reason he hung around was because I was such a loser back then that I'd latch on to anyone who is even remotely nice to me."

" You weren't a loser." Eriol stared at him, while everyone else in the group felt like they were losing track of the conversation.

" Certainly felt like one." Syaoran muttered moodily.

" Li-san, Dragon Princes don't just pair up with any lonely kid on the block."

" You know, I hate it when you decide to be all patronizing." Syaoran snapped, even though Eriol did not feel he was patronizing at all. " I know. He did not have to hang around with just me. Probably more love in the world than just one person, after all. And heck, he probably would have gotten better a lot faster if he just went and gathered all that 'adoration' from millions and billions of people. He did not have to hang around for a whole year." He tossed the bottle in the cooler. He started chuckling a little. " Kami-sama. I had no idea."

" Li-san." Eriol sighed.

" I'm fine." Syaoran held up his hand. " I'm fine. I just want to…want to help him. Any way I can. Curse it all, he's just going to go away again."

" You still have us." Eriol said solemnly.

" What's going on?" Sakura asked Yue, who shook his head grimly.

" What was he to you, exactly?" Kero asked.

Syaoran swayed, like he was about to faint. " He was my idol." He said quietly. " He was the only person who ever cared at all about me."

" We care about you." Sakura reminded him.

" Well, I meant in Hong Kong." Syaoran looked at her, tiredly. " He was the only person who believed I could _be _someone, someone that wasn't a loser punk."

Touya snorted.

" Why would you think that?" Tomoyo asked.

" What was that whole thing with not having magic?" Sakura asked. " I mean, you have magic…is it not yours, or—"

" Oh it's mine alright," Syaoran snapped, incensed. " I'm not sick enough to go around stealing other people's magic."

" Then what?" Sakura asked, ignoring the way Yue flinched. " What did you guys mean?"

" I explained this to you already! I might as well not have _any _magic, according to my relatives! It was like world news, son of the Li clan is your average magician that barely had enough to do card tricks!" Syaoran rubbed at his eyes furiously. " Not that it's any of your freaking business!"

" We have more important things to worry about." Kero tried to stave off any more lashings. " We need to figure out what to do about the prince."

" Well I have to get him out. If it's the last thing I do." Syaoran sniffed. The firelight lit his eyes so that they looked almost feral. " I need to figure out how to show it was the Third Eastern Prince."

" He's a god. Even with Otohime's help, you wouldn't be able to reverse a whole year's worth of—"

" Well I have to try. What, are you going to stop me?!"

" I say we sleep on it." Yue broke the potential quarrel. " We've all had a long day, in our own way, and either way it is not safe to do anything until morning."

" What if the prince is executed tomorrow?"

" He is not. End of the year, remember." Yue pointed out. " Now. Which tent."

It was easy to pair Sakura with Tomoyo, which left Fujitaka, Touya, Eriol, Yue, and Syaoran between two tents.

" Li-san and I can take that one." Eriol gestured to one of the tents. " Is that alright with you?" He turned to the boy.

But Syaoran was already making his way over there. Receiving no response, Eriol cautiously followed.

" You can join Otou-san and me." Touya said to Yue behind them.

Inside the tent Syaoran changed into his pajamas, his back turned to Eriol, who silently did the same. They heard Fujitaka and Sakura put out the fire. Eriol reflected, a little wistfully, that Syaoran had never been the one for courtesy.

Then again, perhaps that was what made him special. Never one for pointless considerations, but when he does consider, they always had profound meaning.

" It will be alright, Li-san." He said to the boy, who had crawled under the cover of the blankets.

Syaoran did not reply, but in the new darkness Eriol could see the flicker of his eyelashes as he blinked. The boy was awake, and alert.

With a soft sigh, Eriol slid into his own blankets. He shut his eyes for a while when silence fell and almost started to fall asleep when Syaoran spoke again.

" Clow Reed never saw me, huh."

Eriol opened his eyes in surprise, but did not reply at first. " He did not see many people." He answered at last.

Silence descended again after that. Syaoran dreamed he was five years old again, trying not to think that he would never see the prince again. He dreamed that his sisters poked fun at each other and laughed as if the world had not just shattered around him. His mother was as oblivious as ever, ordering him to go to bed despite not having seen him the entire day, not even at dinner. He walked through the entire night in his dream, while in the real world, Eriol turned to face Syaoran's quietly sobbing form. Instead of waking him, however, he slid his arm around the other boy and drew him close. Within the dream, Syaoran felt the warm arms circle him and thought it was the Dragon Prince, who was there for him again. His sobs quieted, and his dreams turned to more mundane things, of seawater and lotus blossoms and a full moon against a starlit sky.


End file.
